One of the benefits of this quite unusual year of lockdowns and safety has been how close Marla and I have become. We often reminisce about our life at Wesco Fabrics, talking about the great elements along with the less happy ones. When Marla and I were first engaged her Mom and Dad came to California for a visit. That evening Harry offered me a job with his company in Denver. Although I didn’t enjoy being an industrial engineer, decorative fabrics and window coverings were definitely not part of my career vision at the time. Actually, the Viet Nam War was the catalyst that propelled me to come to Denver to work. I was in an infantry national guard unit in Northern California which looked like it was going to be called up. As this unpopular war was close to ending I felt I needed to be proactive and transferred to a military police company in Denver. I began my career in the world of textiles, and what an adventure it has been!

Marla stands in front of the first Wesco Fabrics building at 30th and Larimer Street. It is now in the hippest area of Denver known as RINO. At 6 years old she collated catalogs and at 8 she could string a Venetian Blind. Wesco filled many weekends and summers. She didn’t want to work for Wesco at all as she witnessed what the stresses of business did to her parents. Their life was business 24/7! After college, she earned her master’s degree and taught special education. Self-employment as an interior designer afforded her time to be a full-time Mom. Marla spent many years as president of various performing arts guilds in the dance world and the symphony. As they say,…” she is one talented cookie!”

I’ll take you way back to provide some context. Harry and Joline began Weiss Venetian Blinds in 1946 then ventured into fabrics and custom window coverings with Wesco Fabrics in 1951. Joline is showing Harry some new modern style prints.

Joline provided the style element while her husband was the brains on the financial side of the business.

This is from a newspaper article about the company in the early 1950’s. Harry is wearing the suit.

Joline was one of the first women in the decorative jobbing business to source fabrics with the converters in New York City. It was a man’s world at the time but she persevered and became a legend in the industry. I heard a great quote from one of our competitors at the jobber market telling a supplier, “I’ll order what Joline ordered.” She had a sense of what would sell at the time. The photo above shows Harry and Joline sourcing fabrics and woven bamboo in Japan. They knew the importance of buying worldwide early on in the business.

This is a great shot of Harry and Joline in Las Vegas. Harry never gambled but he kept Las Vegas for his own sales territory from the 1950’s on. As a former professional musician, he loved the shows and the music. It was another story for Jo as she often stayed up all night at the crap table. She loved telling stories about the night Frank Sinatra asked, “What are you doing, doll?” Her response was, “Waiting for my husband.” On another occasion, she held the dice so long that Lou Costello (part of the comedy duo, Abbott and Costello) offered to buy her a mink coat with part of his winnings. Boy did she love telling her Vegas stories! Marla met Pat Boone by the pool at the Sahara Hotel and her sister Lora had swim lessons with Ray Bolger. Going backstage after a show was normal as a relative was a pit boss at the Desert Inn.

Joline and I are going over fabrics in our hotel in New York City. Once son-in-laws entered into the picture, the twice a year 2-week buying trips became one week for Joline as “the boys” previewed all the new collections for the first week then Joline and Harry joined us the second week. After Bud Lefforge left to start his own business, his ex-wife, (Marla’s sister), remarried and her new husband came to work for Wesco, joining us in New York. Joline and Harry arrived on a Friday afternoon. That evening all the salesmen and company owners came for cocktails and dropped off the samples we had selected. It was always a crazy evening! We all worked together selecting our next season’s line on Saturday and Sunday. Many years later I totally changed our way of buying.

Two amazing textile “mavens” always came to the Friday night cocktail parties. Edgar Silberman, left, was a very successful decorative converter. At one party he dropped off samples and dramatically rushed into the bedroom with scissors (where samples were placed on the bed). I followed him into the room and he said with a smile, “I just want to cut a quick sample so I can ‘knock it off’!” He was a real character! George Lichter, right, was a large supplier as well. He was dynamic, super smart, and always fun to be around. As a young man after the end of World War II, he was one of the original founders of the Israeli Air Force. After he sold his business he moved to Boulder, CO, to be close to his kids. Marla and I enjoyed dinner with him nearly every other month until his passing years later.

In the early days, most of our fabric suppliers had offices and showrooms in 261 & 295 Fifth Avenue. The “261” building at the corner of East 29th and Fifth Avenue was built in 1928 featuring fabulous Art Deco design elements.

I’m haggling with Gene Gold about a new velvet offering in his New York City showroom. I went to Finland and Russia with him and a couple of our competitors, courtesy of an important Finish mill. Women were excluded from the trip, much to Marla’s dismay.

Many of our suppliers attended open house parties when we opened a new warehouse. The shot above is our Columbus, Ohio, opening. Harry Weiss had a gift for selecting warehouse space in the best areas. At the time Wesco Fabrics owned warehouses in Denver, Dallas, Irvine, CA, and Columbus, Ohio. A fifth nearly completed warehouse in Houston was condemned due to a new freeway expansion.

This was my first office which was next to Harry’s secretary’s office in Denver. On my first day with the company I showed up with a 3-piece suit and tie. Harry said, “We don’t really have a junior executive training program.” My early years were a little tough as I worked in many departments literally learning the business. I started in the woodshop then moved to our woven wood shade department. I loved this area and eventually expanded woven wood shade manufacturing to all 4 of our warehouses.

The company had over 9 family members working at the same time during one period in our history; a nightmare hotbed of nepotism. Harry liked to have a lot of family with the company, although it often became extremely difficult managing all the egos and often the sense of entitlement!

Marla and I attended Heimtextil in Frankfurt Germany every January for 40 years. This is the largest decorative textile fair in the world, now with over 2900 companies exhibiting from 64 countries.

On a trip to develop a Wesco Fabrics decorative upholstery line In Lake Como Italy, Marla and I met Antonio Ratti and his wife while dining with one of our Swiss suppliers. I knew he was way too high-end for us but he insisted we look at a few of his sample books…out of the trunk of his car!

This was the look of our sampling when I started with the company, a bit psychedelic. The fabrics, trimmings, bedspreads, and woven wood sampling styles and colors obviously evolved over the years.

I became president of the company in 1984. I love this article about Harry and his early days in the music industry.

Steve Beard was a fabulous Wesco Fabrics salesman for many years. He eventually became our southern state’s sales manager. We are in our booth at a trade show. We had 23 commission salespeople and our lines in over 22 showrooms around the country. Managing salespeople was always a challenge for us but we did our best.

Views of our Denver workrooms for drapery, bedspreads, shades, valances, and cornices.

This was a very sad day for the family and for the business! Harry was a true pioneer in our industry, with an eye for the future while never forgetting his past. He was a master of managing the financial side of our business. His often challenging childhood formed his focus and drive for success. He was known throughout the industry for his principled and honest character.

Harry Weiss was honored in New York City by our suppliers and many competitors.

Marla and I, Joline, sister Sharon and husband Joe attended this celebration of Harry’s life and contribution to our industry.

Joline was without question the most unique, hardworking, and often difficult person I’ve ever met. She was my boss for 18 years. She made her own rules rather than following them. She was very driven to succeed. She loved the glamourous side of life; her diamonds, anything silk, the color blue, her mink upholstered chair, and her cars. She had a light blue Rolls Royce and a Rolls Royce Corniche convertible (after conservative Harry passed) which she had her housekeeper drive for her. She was in a word,…extraordinary!”

She retired and sold her shares of the business back to the company shortly after Harry died in 1986.

After Harry’s death and Joline’s retirement, I often felt adrift on stormy seas while juggling too many balls and dropping many of them! I had too many responsibilities in managing sales, product development, accounts receivable, purchasing, cash flows, etc. We had staff but the stresses were always apparent. In 1989 I asked (actually begged) Marla to come on board full time. She wasn’t thrilled but she knew I needed help. In 1999 we decided it would be best if Marla took over the presidency and I would spend more time on the purchasing, sales, and marketing side. She always has been a financial wiz just like her Dad!

I’m in our “Fancy” workroom. I learned to sew when I started and even made cornices.

This was a great memory! Left to right: Louise Alvarado, our first Denver warehouse showroom manager, my “secretary”, Ruby Vonwald (We transitioned to “personal assistant” after she retired), Marla’s Aunt Tootsie (Kay Melnick), who was a wonderful local area salesperson, Joline Weiss who came in for a visit, and our Stacy who worked for us that summer with her boyfriend (now husband), Stan.

Marla looking right out of Vogue Magazine while in Heimtextil in Frankfurt. These were the days when the high-end “editeurs” from Germany, France, Spain, England, and Italy, etc., created absolutely over-the-top creative displays. Such excessive expenditures disappeared as the whole industry changed and evolved with the times.

Steve Beard joined us in Heimtextil one year. It was quite an eye-opener for him. We also connected with industry speaker, Joanne Brezette on this trip.

I’m in the middle of a new line presentation back in the day. I loved the drama of creative fabric presentation for our sales personnel and showrooms.

In 1996 we had a wonderful 50th-anniversary party for our company at the Denver Design Center with over 250 quests from around the country. Marla hired a choreographer, dancers, and a band for a show representing Wesco’s 50 years. It was a wonderful evening!

The grandchildren presented a framed artwork on “Teamwork.” At that time, Marla’s sisters, Sharon and Lora, both worked in sales in the field. Sharon’s husband Joe managed the workroom.

This was a great 50th photo with Steve Beard and our southern California sales person, Lori Conway, 2nd and 3rd from the right. They are with other Wesco wonderful sales pros and customers from the east to west coasts.

I’m standing (left to right) with Howard Smith, Jim Henson, and Steve Beard, all fabulous sales people! Next to Steve is Sam Hirshfeld who worked for us creating systems for manufacturing on and off for decades. Next to Sam is Chuck Wells who was our national sales manager then left to open his own successful Denver showroom now owned by his son. Former sales rep Wally Anderson on the right. This was one amazing group of men!

Look for Part 2 of our Wesco Fabrics’ story in January: evolutionary industry changes with new products and services, sourcing furniture and accessories from new places around the world, and family DRAMA!

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.