Leonard built one of the first showrooms on Robertson Blvd. He then carried prestigious lines and was a sales representative for the 11 Western states. Eve raised 4 children and also represented several accessory lines!
Leonard had worked as sales manager for other upholstery companies and developed a concept for upholstery for designers to customize catalogue photographs. In 1963 Leonard and Eve decided to manufacture chairs, at first outsourcing them. They had a space at the new Los Angeles Furniture Mart. In 1963 they bought an upholstery manufacturing company called Leons and renamed it Republic Furniture Mfg., Inc. as a living memorial to his father and to expand and control their manufacturing to a complete line of upholstered furniture.
Republic Furniture used the most technologically advanced frame construction and springing methods and created the specification standard still used today-hardwood frames double dowelled with corner blocks, no sag (4 ½”spacing with insulated steel wire) or hand tied springing.
Karen Rosen Hirsch started doing the payroll for Republic while she was an interior design student at Woodbury College. After school Karen worked for a hospital design company then S. Harris fabrics showroom, then a model home design firm. She continued to do payroll and bookkeeping for Republic.
In 1970 she joined the company full time and became their sales representative calling on designers for model homes, residence and contract furnishings.
Judy Rosen joined the family business in 1976. It was the beginning of her third career and having been around the business all her life the best as she likes working with the creativity found in the industry. Karen and Judy were two of the first NEWH members and were both active in growing the organization in Los Angeles.
Of course hospitality design was not unknown to Republic. Len tells the story of going to Parvin’s when he first started manufacturing and having a chair thrown against the wall to see if it would hold up in Las Vegas. It did. He also went to Bugsy Siegal frisking room in the Flamingo with one of the Hilton people when they took over the hotel.