Stanley Grossman, Longtime Kensington Furniture CEO Dies

Stanley Grossman, the longtime owner and colorful pitchman for Northfield's Kensington Furniture, died on Wednesday at 94.

Third Generation Owner of Kensington Furniture Passes Away

When Stanley Grossman joined the family business in 1955, Kensington Furniture had been a well-known South Jersey business for 43 years.

Like most family businesses, Kensington Furniture has an interesting history.

Kensington was founded in 1912 by Grossman's Hungarian immigrant grandfather, Meyer, who moved his family from the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia to Atlantic City and opened Kensington Furniture and Carpet on the corner of Kentucky and Atlantic Avenue in Atlantic City.

When Grossman's father and uncle took over the business, Kensington had become a successful, seven-story building serving hundreds of local families.

Stanley Grossman and his brother took control in the 1950s and built on that reputation with clever ad campaigns and a shrewd business sense.

Stanley Grossman Moved the Business to Northfield

It was their decision to move Kensington Furniture to Tilton Road in Northfield that Grossman recalled as the best decision he and his brother Buddy made for the business.

"We were one of the pioneers to come to the mainland and it has been a rewarding decision," Grossman said in a business retrospective video. "We knew that the customers were moving. They were going to suburbia. It happened in 1967 and it has been a great move and a great location for us".

In 1973, Sears opened down the street in the Shore Mall and the area became a shopping destination.

Stanley Grossman's Legacy

Several years ago, Michael Grossman wrote an article about his father's finest moments, which included him having served as the Master of Ceremonies for Frank Sinatra's 1978 concert at Boardwalk Hall benefiting Atlantic City Medical Center.

Stanley Grossman's primary focus was the success of Kensington Furniture.

After 50 years he retired and the store closed for several years before reopening in 2009 with a fourth generation, Micheal Grossman, in control, but, Michael said, with Stanley as the spiritual leader.

Stanley was still seen on Kensington Furniture commercials into his early 90s.

The family asks that contributions in his memory be made to the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University or the Stanley M. Grossman Pediatric Center at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, City Campus.