Mar 6, 2024 - Business
At 100, Rubensteins opens a New Orleans hotel
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Rubensteins, seen in an undated photo, has been open in New Orleans for 100 years. Photo: Courtesy of Rubensteins
Rubensteins, the iconic, family-owned and -operated men's clothing store on Canal Street, turns 100 this year.
Why it matters: Some families can't even make it through a single Thanksgiving dinner.
Flashback: Morris Rubenstein opened the haberdashery in 1924, and he was soon joined by his brothers Elkin and Sam.
- Through the 1950s and 1960s, the business grew rapidly, expanding into six buildings at the corner of Canal Street and St. Charles Avenue.
- Over the years, Rubensteins became known for service as tailored to customers' individual needs as the suits they sold.
- After Hurricane Katrina, the business was the first retailer to reopen on Canal Street, just 51 days after the storm blew through.
- "We're in the hospitality business," says third-generation owner and manager Kenny Rubenstein. "That's the way I see this job. I sell laundry. And the reality is, it's about making people comfortable."
Yes, but: Working with family isn't a cake walk.
- Rubenstein remembers growing up and while his friends could walk away from a tough day of work to blow off some steam, he'd instead hear about it at the dinner table, too.
- "It's a blessing. It's a curse," Rubenstein says. "Different things are said about family businesses, and most are all true."
- His No. 1 tip for making a family business work?
- "Learn to separate family and business," he says. "If your uncle is yelling at you, that's rough, but if your boss is yelling, maybe it's fine and that's fair."
The latest: As Rubensteins evolved, the family considered new ways to use all their Canal Street space.
- This year, thanks to a partnership with J Collective Hotels and Development, they opened a hotel and a bar.
- The family also remodeled the store as part of that project.
- "The hotel seemed like a reasonable leap," Rubenstein says. "It's an easy thing when clients are coming in, they ask, where should I stay? … It's a no-brainer to say 'come in, we got a room for you."
