Alexander's

George Farkas was a Brooklyn born and raised merchant. In 1928, he opened a department store on Third Avenue in the Bronx with $7,500. (~$107,924 in 2024) Named for his deceased father, Alexander, the store catered to the well-to-do middle class, offering discounted designer clothing and high-quality private label goods. Its advertising slogan at one time was "You'll find Alexander's has what you're looking for; how lucky can you get?!"

The chain thrived even during the Great Depression, and opened a location on Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse in the Bronx in 1933. At its heyday in the 1930s, this store was known for its discount bargains and had higher sales per square foot than any other store in the United States.

Farkas was known for being a master at selecting locations for his stores, buying the real estate instead of leasing.

In February 1959, the company opened a store in Rego Park, Queens.

In 1963, the company opened its flagship store on 59th Street in Midtown Manhattan after it bought the land from a company controlled by Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. for what seemed like a high price of $125 (~$978.00 in 2024) per square foot.

In December 1968, Alexander's became a public company via an initial public offering, raising $41.17 million (~$283 million in 2024), in part to prevent a takeover from competitor E. J. Korvette. Founder George Farkas retired that year due to failing health and one of his sons, Alexander S. Farkas, became CEO.

In the 1970s, customers defected to larger competitors such as Macy's and Bloomingdale's, and discount stores such as Kmart.

Alexander's opened its 10th store on October 15, 1971 in the Roosevelt Field shopping mall.

The Alexander’s location opposite Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey, was the site of an abstract art mural painted on glass with enamel by Polish artist Stefan Knapp that was displayed on the outside of the store. The mural was hung on the side of the building facing Route 4 and remained there until the building’s demolition in 1998.

George Farkas had approached artist Salvador Dalí to paint a mural for the Paramus location and the two had agreed to terms on a contract. However, sometime after that, Farkas was traveling abroad and came across a mural painted by Knapp while walking through London’s Heathrow Airport and decided to commission him to paint a mural as well. Dalí demanded that he do the piece, which would include giraffes with drawers suspended from their necks hanging out over the street, and was willing to let Knapp paint the giraffes. Farkas responded by giving the job to Knapp in its entirety, but still paid Dalí for his input. Knapp’s theme was a map of the world painted as he viewed it during his time as a pilot in the Royal Air Force after his emancipation from a Soviet prison camp.

When it was completed in 1963, the 280-panel mural was the largest in the world, measuring 200 by 50 feet (61 by 15 m) and weighing more than 250 short tons (230 t). Farkas was enamored with the work and hired Knapp to paint murals at stores in Valley Stream, New York, and White Plains, New York.

The store was closed in 1992 and the building sat unused. In 1996, Steven Roth, the chairman of Vornado Realty Trust, announced that the store would be redeveloped into a shopping center anchored by Ikea. Will Roseman, mayor of nearby Carlstadt, New Jersey, and a director of the Bergen Museum of Art & Science contacted Roth in an attempt to save the mural. After it was appraised by Sotheby's the mural was donated to the Bergen Museum of Art & Science, which stored it in a garage in Carlstadt.