In 1928, George Farkas, a Brooklyn native, opened a store on Third Avenue in the Bronx with $7,500 and named it for his deceased father, Alexander. Catering to the well-to-do middle class, the store offered discounted designer clothing and high-quality private label goods. Its advertising slogan at one time was "You'll find Alexander's has what you're looking for; how lucky can you get?!" The chain thrived even during the Great Depression, and opened a location on Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse in The Bronx in 1933. At its heyday in the 1930s, this store had more sales per square foot than any other store in the United States. Farkas was known for being a master at selecting locations for his stores, buying instead of leasing the real estate they were established on. In February 1959, the company opened a store in Rego Park, Queens. In 1963, the company opened its flagship store on 59th street in Manhattan after it bought the land from a company controlled by Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. for what seemed like a high price of $125 per square foot. In December 1968, Alexander's became a public company via an initial public offering, raising $41.17 million, in part to prevent a takeover from competitor E. J. Korvette. Founder George Farkas retired that year due to failing health and one of his sons, Alexander S. Farkas, became CEO. In the 1970s, customers defected to larger competitors such as Macy's and Bloomingdale's, and discount stores such as Kmart. Upon completion of The Mall at the World Trade Center in 1974, Alexander's became its anchor store. The location occupied roughly 1/6 of the WTC's 500,000 square foot mall, the largest in New York City, and was located underneath 4 World Trade Center, immediately to the east of the south tower. In 1980, after a proxy fight, Interstate Properties, controlled by Steven Roth, took control of the company, seeking to maximize the value of its real estate. In 1981, management attempted to expand offerings beyond leisure apparel. In 1984 at the request of Interstate Properties, then holding a 13% stake, Alexander Farkas resigned as CEO and was succeeded by his brother, Robin. In 1986, Donald Trump bought approximately 20% of the company.
1987 was the last year in which the company made a profit from its retail operations. In 1988, Interstate and Trump each raised their stakes to 27% of the company, but Trump pledged his interest as collateral for a personal loan from Citibank, and in 1991 was forced to turn over his holdings to the guarantor. In 1992, Roth and creditors forced the company into bankruptcy and the company shut all 11 stores on May 15, 1992, laying off 5,000 people. The bankruptcy was also triggered by a put option Gruss family held to sell its 18% interest in the partnership that owned the 59th street store to Alexander's for $35 million and the company did not have the money. In 1993, the company emerged from bankruptcy. The combination of an increase in value in its real estate holdings and shedding of its liabilities caused its stock to skyrocket from $8.50 per share before it declared bankruptcy to $57 per share a year later. In 1995, Vornado Realty Trust bought the interest formerly owned by Donald Trump from Citicorp for $54.8 million. In November 2012, the company sold the Kings Plaza mall in Brooklyn to Macerich for $751 million and used the proceeds to pay a $122 per share dividend to stockholders.
Mural at the Paramus store
After George Farkas saw a mural painted by Polish artist Stefan Knapp at Heathrow Airport, he commissioned Knapp to paint one for the store in Paramus, New Jersey. However, Spanish artist Salvador Dalí had also been contracted to paint a mural for the store. Dali demanded that he do the piece, which would include giraffes with drawers suspended from their necks hanging out over the street, and Knapp could enamel the giraffes. Farkas realized Dali's idea was impractical and awarded Knapp the entire job, although Dali still was paid. When it was completed in 1963, the 280-panel mural was the largest in the world, measuring 200 feet by 50 feet and weighing over 250 tons. Farkas was enamored with the work and hired Knapp to paint murals at Valley Stream and White Plains stores. The store was closed in 1992 and the building sat unused. In 1996, Steven Roth, the chairman of Vornado Realty Trust, announced that the store would be redeveloped into a shopping center anchored by Ikea. Will Roseman, mayor of nearby Carlstadt, New Jersey and a director of the Bergen Museum of Art & Science contacted Roth in an attempt to save the mural. After it was appraised by Sotheby's the mural was donated to the Bergen Museum of Art & Science, which stored it in a garage in Carlstadt. In June 2015, pieces of the mural were displayed at the Art Factory in Paterson, New Jersey. However, Roseman held back 20 sections because he was worried that the Art Factory would sell the work. The sections were laid out in rows, with some having specific themes.
