Simply Fashion Stores Day

WHEREAS, Morris Barstein began his career in retail by operating a fruit cart in downtown Birmingham; and

WHEREAS, in 1955, Morris Barstein and his uncle, Max Corenblum, pooled their resources to open War Surplus Stores in downtown Birmingham; in 1957, Mervyn Barstein, son of Morris Barstein, joined his father and great uncle in the family business that became known as Bargain Town USA; and

WHEREAS, Bargain Town USA became a regional leader in discount variety merchandising growing to 60 stores across the Southeast before being sold in 1987; at that time, the stores began operating as Simply 6 among other names before the company that purchased the business collapsed; and

WHEREAS, Rodney and Mark Barstein, sons of Mervyn Barstein, along with the Janak Shah family of Miami, Florida, bought Simply 6 and began operating the chain of clothing stores as Simply Fashion Stores Ltd.; and

WHEREAS, the Barstein family and the Shah family brought the chain out of bankruptcy only a few months after buying back their family’s retail legacy in 1991; and

WHEREAS, the Birmingham-based Simply Fashion chain of clothing stores now operates 250 stores in 22 states and employs 1,500 associates with 15 of those stores and more than 165 of those associates in Alabama; and

WHEREAS, in 1993, the Birmingham Venture Club awarded Simply Fashion with its prestigious John S. Jemison Award, which honors high-growth, high-value entrepreneurs; Inc. Magazine recognized Simply Fashion in 1996 as one of the 500 fastest growing privately held companies in America; and in 2011, Rodney and Mark Barstein, the Shah family and Simply Fashion were recognized as the Gold Alabama Retailer of the Year in the Annual Sales More Than $20 Million Category; and

WHEREAS, Rodney Barstein served as the Alabama Retail Association’s chairman for the 2000-2001 term and continues to serve as an active member of the association’s board of directors; Simply Fashion has been a member of the Alabama Retail Association since 1992:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim October 8, 2013, as

Simply Fashion Stores Day

in the state of Alabama.