Long before Ikea, Pottery Barn or direct-to-consumer digital retailers,
there was a remarkable furniture store...
Long before there was an Ikea or a Pottery Barn or direct-to-consumer digital retailers, there was a remarkable furniture store run by a remarkable family in Providence, Rhode Island. The name was Roitman and Son, Inc. Affectionately known as Roitman’s.
All high-quality furniture built to last, still providing pleasure to families today, and not just in New England. In 2018, a fourth generation member of the Roitman family living in Costa Rica discovered that his neighbor’s home has several pieces from Roitman’s.
Their 6-story building on 161 South Main Street, at the foot of College Hill, was a well-known local landmark. In homes throughout southern New England, it was always a source of pride to have something from Roitman’s. There were classic living room and bedroom sets from Henredon or Baker, mid-century modern designs from Denmark, and one-of-a-kind hand-picked accessories from the family’s travels around the globe.
The retail enterprise was only part of the Roitman presence in Rhode Island. Aaron Roitman, and his wife Rose were active in a variety of civic causes. A special love was chamber music. Considered the “patriarch of chamber music in Rhode Island” Aaron was the founder and honorary chairman of Chamber Music United in Rhode Island.
For many years he was president of the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts. He was a member of the executive board of the General Jewish Committee (predecessor of the R.I. Jeiwsh Federation), member of the Providence Historic District Commission, a member of the Board of Directors of the Rhode Island Foundation and of Roger Williams Hospital. In 1979 Rhode Island College awarded him an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.
The Roitman legacy is still very much with us today.