Mrs. B: How Rose Blumkin Built a Retail Empire in Omaha

In Omaha, she was simply known as Mrs. B. But Rose Blumkin’s story is anything but simple.

Born Rose Gorelick in 1893 in what was then the Russian Empire, she was one of eight children. Her father (Solomon Gorelick) was a rabbi, and her mother (Chasia Gorelick) ran a grocery store. At 13, Rose went to work in a dry-goods store to help the family. At 16, she was the manager with 6 employees working for her.

Rose later married Isador (Izya) Blumkin. She first sent her husband to America and then started saving for herself. Then, in 1916 she boarded the Trans-Siberian Train to China. She rode through Manchuria to Tientsin, China. She then boarded a boat to Yokohama, Japan. And finally, boarded the 'Ava Maru', a cargo boat carrying peanuts from Yokohama to Seattle, USA. She covered 18,000 miles to reach America in 3 months. Blumkin finally immigrated to the United States in 1917. She arrived in Seattle unable to speak English and was soon transferred by the American Red Cross to Fort Dodge, Iowa, where her husband lived. 

By 1919, the couple had moved to Omaha, drawn by its community of Russian and Yiddish speakers. They opened a used clothing store and began building a life from scratch.

In 1937, during the depths of the Great Depression, Blumkin opened Nebraska Furniture Mart in the basement of her husband’s store. Her brother Simon, who owned a jewelry store, gave her a $500 loan to start a used furniture business.  She was in her mid-40s. She sold used furniture at low prices, operating on a simple philosophy: sell cheap and tell the truth. Customers responded.

Over time, Nebraska Furniture Mart grew into the largest indoor furniture store in America. Its success caught the attention of Warren Buffett, whose company, Berkshire Hathaway, purchased a 90% stake in 1983 for $60 million.

Blumkin retired in 1989 but returned just months later to open a competing store across the street, Mrs. B’s Clearance and Factory Outlet. It became profitable within two years and was later acquired by Berkshire Hathaway. She remained involved in daily operations until shortly before her death in 1998 at age 104.

A committed philanthropist, Blumkin helped save a struggling downtown theater that became the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center, now known as The Rose Theater. She also supported the Omaha Jewish Community Center and received honorary doctorates from New York University and Creighton University. She received the Israel Peace Medal (1981) and the Distinguished Nebraskan Award (1986). 

Mrs. B did not just build a store. She built an American success story, one bargain at a time.