Fourth Generation Family Business

My name is Hugh Schwartzberg & even now that I am 42 years old, it is hard to believe I am part of a fourth generation family business.  My great grandfather, Nathan Dallek started Dallek Office Furniture in 1920.  Nathan opened the first Dallek showroom at 534 Broadway between Prince and Spring Streets in 1950. Mr. Dallek didn’t have it easy, he was strapped for cash a number of times but by the 1970’s with two new generations in the business some stability was achieved at the Broadway location.

The third generation family business included two brothers at first, Neil and Fred Schwartzberg. They came onboard with big ideas and added a new offering to the business.  Dallek Design was about to be born.  The concept was simple, Dallek’s trained staff of architects and office furniture professionals would design office layouts free of charge in hopes of closing furniture sales. At the time, the idea was revolutionary.  The brothers mounted a massive advertising campaign in the New York Times and had their eyes on the future.

The 80’s had arrived and so too had Dallek – They moved from their downtown SOHO roots to a midtown Manhattan flagship showroom at 269 Madison Avenue. Soon after the youngest of the three brothers, Marc, joined the firm and the business enjoyed great success at the Madison Avenue Location until the mid-2000s. Like so many other businesses, Dallek was challenged by the economy.  At the same time family infighting forced one of the brothers out of the business and it was at this late stage in the game that I joined Dallek. Succumbing to internal and external pressures, Dallek was forced into Bankruptcy in September of 2009. Down, but not out Neil and Hugh Schwartzberg regrouped and reincorporated, and in April of 2011 D2 Office Furniture & Design opened its showroom at 150 E 39^th Street (between Lexington and Third Avenues).