Sol Polk (May 14, 1917 – May 15, 1988) was an American businessman and co-founder of appliance retailer

Polk Brothers Polk Brothers was a large home appliance and electronics retailer in Chicago, Illinois that had 17 stores in the region at its peak in the 1980s. One of the original discounters, Polk Bros. Inc. was founded by Sol Polk, the son of Romanian Jew ...

Biography

Polk was one of six children born to their

Romanian Jewish The history of the Jews in Romania concerns the Jews both of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is present-day Romanian territory. Minimal until the 18th century, the size of the Jewish population increased after ...

immigrant father, Henry Pokovitz and to their

Austrian Jewish The history of the Jews in Austria probably begins with the exodus of Jews from Judea under Roman occupation. Over the course of many centuries, the political status of the community rose and fell many times: during certain periods, the Jewis ...

immigrant mother, Yetta Reyen.Chicago Tribune: "Sol Polk, Co-founder Of Polk Bros. Stores" by Jorge Casuso
May 16, 1988 He worked as a concessionaire at the

1933 World's Fair A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, from 1933 to 1934. The fair, registered under the Bureau International des Expositi ...

and then during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, sold irons and ironing boards door-to-door. In 1935, he founded the Central Appliance and Furniture Co. with his brother, Sam. In 1946, the company was incorporated and the name changed to

, Inc. after the five Polk brothers: Sol, Samuel, Morris, Harry and David (he also had a sister, Goldie Bachmann Luftig). He fought in Europe during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

attaining the rank of master sergeant. Polk Brothers became wildly popular as the first appliance retailer to sell at a discount to the suggested manufacturers retail priceChicago Tribune: "End Of An Era: Polk Bros. To Close Doors' by John Schmeltzer
April 03, 1992 and in the 1950s and 1960s, Polk Brothers became the largest retailer of brand-name appliances in the country with 15 stores and over $100 million in annual sales. Polk Brothers was also the first retailer of color television sets and microwave ovens in the country. Polk had a reputation as showman and master merchandiser for his innovative and bold marketing campaigns. He was one of the first to advertise in color on television which helped to fuel the purchase of color television. In 1957, he offered a job to the unemployed

Lord Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin ( ga, Ardmhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ga, Cathaoirleach, links=no ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The ...

and in 1966, he bought 250,000 pineapples and handed them out to customers. In 1958, Polk won the Mr. Big Heart Award for civic and charitable work in the March of Dimes campaign. In 1966, he received the B`nai B`rith Humanitarian Award. Polk was a member of the Standard Club, the Covenant Club and the Executives Club. Polk never married. In 1988, Polk died; services were held at the Oak Park Temple. Polk Brothers closed in 1992 and its assets transferred to the Polk Bros. Foundation.Chicago Tribune: "Chicago's Polk family gives $20 million to Navy Pier" By Kathy Bergen
July 17, 2014 The Polk Family Foundation subsequently donated $20 million to the redevelopment of

Navy Pier Navy Pier is a pier on the shoreline of Lake Michigan, located in the Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Side community area in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Navy Pier encompasses over of parks, gardens, shops, restaurants, famil ...

; the park and fountain at the entrance to the pier was named the Polk Brothers Park and Fountain.Chicago Tribune: "The new fountain at Navy Pier is open" By Kori Rumore, Phil Geib, Jemal R. Brinson and Nausheen Husain
May 26, 2016

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polk, Sol) American people of Romanian-Jewish descent American people of Austrian-Jewish descent American company founders American retail chief executives American businesspeople in retailing 1917 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople