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Bernard Castro
Bernard Castro (August 11, 1904 – August 24, 1991) was the inventor of the modern convertible couch. Born in Sicily, Castro emigrated to the U.S. in 1919. He never finished high school but went to work as an upholsterer’s apprentice. In 1931 with $400 in capital he opened his first store, which eventually became a chain. At his death in 1991, he had sold over 5 million of his convertible sofas through 48 retail showrooms in 12 states, becoming a multimillionaire in the process. Castro married Theresa Barabas on Valentine’s Day 1942. Their two children were Bernard, Jr. and Bernadette. Bernadette became locally famous in the New York area as the company’s official four-year-old spokesperson. Theresa died at 85 in March 2002. Castro Convertibles was acquired in 1993 by Krause Furniture. Bernard was involved with every aspect of the product’s development, production and sale. Bernard brought the sofa bed into the living room, formerly that category of product was not though ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Couch
A couch, also known as a sofa, settee, or chesterfield, is a cushioned item of furniture for seating multiple people (although it is not uncommon for a single person to use a couch alone). It is commonly found in the form of a bench with upholstered armrests and is often fitted with springs and tailored cushion and pillows. Although a couch is used primarily for seating, it may be used for sleeping. In homes, couches are normally put in the family room, living room, den, or lounge. They are sometimes also found in non-residential settings such as hotels, lobbies of commercial offices, waiting rooms, and bars. Couches can also vary in size, color, and design. Etymology The term ''couch'' originally denoted an item of furniture for lying or sleeping on. ''Couch'' is predominantly used in North America, Australia, South Africa, and Ireland, whereas the terms ''sofa'' and ''settee'' ( U and non-U) are most commonly used in the United Kingdom and India. The word ''couch'' origi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Sicilian , demographics1_info1 = 98% , demographics1_title2 = , demographics1_info2 = , demographics1_title3 = , demographics1_info3 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = CEST , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code_type = ISO 3166 code , area_code = IT-82 , blank_name_sec1 = GDP (nominal) , blank_info_sec1 = €89.2 billion (2018) , blank1_name_sec1 = GDP per capita , blank1_info_sec1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territories, nine Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. The United States is also in free association with three Pacific Island sovereign states: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. It is the world's third-largest country by both land and total area. It shares land borders with Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south and has maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, Russia, and other nations. With a population of over 333 million, it is the most populous country in the Americas and the third most populous in the world. The national capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. and its most populous city and principal financial center is New York City. Paleo-Americ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Valentine’s Day
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world. There are a number of martyrdom stories associated with various Valentines connected to February 14, including an account of the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century. According to an early tradition, Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer. Numerous later additions to the legend have better related it to the theme of love: an 18th-century embellishment to the legend claims he wrote the jailer's daughter a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell before his execution; another ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bernadette Castro
Bernadette Castro (born July 10, 1944 in Manhattan) is an American businesswoman and former New York politician who served in the Cabinet of former New York Governor George Pataki. She is a partner with her family in Castro Properties. In the early 1960s, she pursued a singing career with mild success. Castro recorded several singles, the 1964 "His Lips Get in the Way" among others. After earning her master's degree at the University of Florida, Bernadette worked in the advertising and promotions department of Castro Convertibles. While raising her four children, Bernadette worked in the business on a limited basis and later moved into her role as the company CEO when they were grown. In 2009 Bernadette bought back the Castro Convertibles furniture business with her family. Early life and education Bernadette became involved with the Castro Convertibles business at a very early age. As a 4-year-old child, Castro starred in the brand's iconic television commercials that ran ove ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theresa Castro
Theresa Castro (February 15, 1917 – March 2, 2002), was the wife of Bernard Castro, the inventor of the Castro Convertible sofa. Theresa was born Theresa Barabas on a dairy farm outside McKeesport, Pennsylvania, on February 15, 1917. Her father was Hungarian and her mother Austrian. At the age of 13, Theresa entered a convent to fulfill a promise her mother had made to an order of nuns. She eventually left, promising her mother that she would 'do more good from outside the cloistered walls.' Bernard Castro married Theresa Barabas on Valentine’s Day 1942. Their two children were Bernard Jr. and Bernadette. Bernard Jr. died at the age of 26. Bernadette became famous in the New York Metropolitan Areas as the 4 year old living trademark of the company. It was Theresa’s idea to use their daughter Bernadette, starting at the age of 4, with her white nightgown and sausage curls, in television commercials for the sofas as the company’s living trademark. The commercial – shown 40,0 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Defunct Retailers Of The United States
Below is a list of defunct retailers of the United States. Across the United States, a large number of local stores and store chains that started between the 1920s and 1950s have become defunct since the late 1960s, when many chains were either consolidated or liquidated. Some may have been lost due to mergers, while others were affected by a phenomenon of large store closings in the 2010s known as the retail apocalypse. Automotive * Al's Auto Supply Chain that operated in Washington, California, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada and Alaska; purchased by CSK Auto. Founded by Abe "Al" Wexler in Everett, Washington in the late 1950s; sold 15 store chain to Paccar in 1987; Paccar sold chain (along with Grand Auto) in 1999 to CSK Auto which eventually rebranded stores as Schucks. * Auto Palace A New England-based chain that had 112 stores in six states before it was acquired and rebranded by AutoZone in 1998 * Auto Works Began in Michigan in 1976 by Perry Drug Stores and which grew most ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1904 Births
Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music * 19 (band), a Japanese pop music duo Albums * ''19'' (Adele album), 2008 * ''19'', a 2003 album by Alsou * ''19'', a 2006 album by Evan Yo * ''19'', a 2018 album by MHD * ''19'', one half of the double album ''63/19'' by Kool A.D. * ''Number Nineteen'', a 1971 album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron * ''XIX'' (EP), a 2019 EP by 1the9 Songs * "19" (song), a 1985 song by British musician Paul Hardcastle. * "Nineteen", a song by Bad4Good from the 1992 album '' Refugee'' * "Nineteen", a song by Karma to Burn from the 2001 album ''Almost Heathen''. * "Nineteen" (song), a 2007 song by American singer Billy Ray Cyrus. * "Nineteen", a song by Tegan and Sara from the 2007 album '' The Con''. * "XIX" (song), a 2014 song by Slipk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1991 Deaths
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, 1991 Russian presidential election, elected as Russia's first President of Russia, president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet Union, Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, erupts in the Philippines, making it the List of large historical volcanic eruptions, second-largest Types of volcanic eruptions, volcanic eruption of the 20th century; MTS Oceanos sinks off the coast of South Africa, but the crew notoriously abandons the vessel before the passengers are rescued; Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The Flag of the Soviet Union, Soviet flag is lowered from the Kremlin for the last time and replaced with the flag of the Russian Federation; The United States and soon-to-be dissolved Soviet Union sign the START I Treaty; A tropical cyclone 1991 Bangladesh cyclone, strikes Bangladesh, killing nearly 140,000 people; Lauda Air Flight ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mercy College (New York) Alumni
Mercy College may refer to: * Mercy Catholic College, Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia * Mercy College (Dublin), Ireland * Mercy College, Sligo, Ireland * Mercy College of Detroit, Michigan, since merged with the University of Detroit * Mercy University, Dobbs Ferry, New York, a private, non-sectarian, non-profit, coeducational research university called Mercy College until August 2023. * Mercy College (Perth), Western Australia * Mercy College, Mackay, Queensland, Australia; see St Patrick's College, Mackay * Mercy College of Health Sciences, Des Moines, Iowa * Mercy College of Ohio, Toledo and Youngstown, Ohio See also * Our Lady of Mercy College (other) * Gwynedd-Mercy College, Lower Gwynedd Township, Pennsylvania * Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School, Lower Gwynedd Township, Pennsylvania * Mercy Academy, Louisville, Kentucky * Mercy Vocational High School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College, North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
