BILTRITE Locally & Family Owned Since 1928 - Flipbook - Page 10
Milwaukee Magazine, April 2024
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A Family Operation
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BILTRITE Furniture-Leather-Mattresses has been a staple in
southeastern Wisconsin for nearly a century.
F
I
L
E
I
n 1928, Irwin Kerns opened
what was then called
BILTRITE Upholstery,
manufacturing and selling
custom-made sofas out of
a small storefront on Third Street
and Garfield.
Over 20 years, Kerns built
a reputation for selling betterquality furniture, and his business
grew enough that he moved
BILTRITE into a five-story building
on Mitchell Street in 1948. That
same year, he renamed the shop
BILTRITE Furniture to reflect its
growing inventory.
Irwin’s daughter, Claire, married
Mort Komisar, who took over
the business in 1964. He was
succeeded by his son, Marty, who
started as a part-time employee
as a teenager and took over
leadership in 1970, while Mort
continued working at the store
into his 80s.
Marty married his wife, Gail,
in 1977, and she soon joined the
staff at BILTRITE. Their children,
Randi Komisar Schachter and
Brad Komisar, have both been
involved in the family business
since they were children.
“I knew from a young age that I
wanted to be a part of the family
business,” Randi says. “I went to
High Point University in North
Carolina for an interior design
degree, and then came back to
work full time.”
In 2006, BILTRITE once again
outgrew its location, and the family
moved from Mitchell Street to
Layton Avenue in Greenfield,
where it now has a 45,000-squarefoot showroom. The retailer
changed its name to reflect its
expanding purview: BILTRITE
Furniture-Leather-Mattresses.
BILTRITE keeps thousands
of items in stock, including
affordable Amish furniture, other
American-made furniture, flippable mattresses
and much more. In 2023, BILTRITE received the
Home Furnishings Association Retailer of the
Year award, a national honor.
Marty remains fully active as BILTRITE’s president
and CEO. He, Gail, Brad and Randi continue to work
at the store, and Brad’s wife, Sarah, has also joined
the staff. “We all work hard,” Randi says. “We have
passion, commitment and love for the business.”
This year, BILTRITE is celebrating 96 years
in business. “We’re excited, appreciative and
humbled by the fact that we’re still going strong,”
Randi says. “We’re four generations of the family
in this business, and we celebrate our whole
team because it’s taken all of us together to hit
this milestone.” ◆
“
We're a
Milwaukee
born-andraised
business.
”
RANDI K., FOURTH
G E N E R AT I O N FA M I LY
MEMBER
BILTRITE Furniture-Leather-Mattresses
5430 W. Layton Ave.,
Greenfield
414-238-2020
biltritefurniture.com