As an adult, I sit back and reflect on some of my fondest childhood memories and one that consistently rises to the top is Thanksgiving. I always looked forward to that nice fall day: the cool weather, football, yummy food, and family time.

I would marvel at the skillful way my uncle would carve the turkey. In the army he worked in the kitchen, and I always assumed he had cut thousands of these birds. I would often stand by his butcher block island, waiting for him to offer a choice morsel of meat for me to try. It all seemed so perfect, easy, and really beautiful. Everything was decorated with the holiday trappings, the table was set, and hors d’oeuvres were prepared. Even the formal living room was not just on display but actually being used.

Now that I’m older, I know how much hard work went into those preparations. At this time of year, many families are just beginning to think about the upcoming holidays, how their house will look (P.S. –  I know a great furniture store that can help with that), who will be invited, and how to find the time to pull it all together. Ahhhh, the stress. Gazing back into my childhood allows me to fully understand and appreciate how much all of that hard work means to families. So I encourage you to continue your family traditions, make some new ones, and make it beautiful. Your children are watching and will appreciate it….one day.

Want to know why the furniture business is natural for me?  It has to do with scrap steel and family. A strange combination, yes, but it’s interesting how things come full circle.

In the early 20th century, my paternal grandfather got into the furniture business. He operated in Philadelphia, and like most immigrants, worked hard to make a living.

My maternal great grandfather, also an immigrant, was a peddler of scrap metals. He built his business into the largest scrap-melting operation on the East Coast, amassing a great fortune. During the Depression, he continued to pay his employees and the banks with his personal wealth. His son, my maternal grandfather, took his knowledge of the metals business and made a living trading the metal lead. My father, who started out as a stock broker, got an offer to enter the scrap metal business. He opened his own scrap brokerage business in 1978, selling it in 1991. My uncle opened his own furniture store in 1979.

My working career started in 1988, working for a friend of my father’s in a scrap yard in the Bronx. I eventually joined my father in his scrap brokerage business. In 1992, my uncle and father opened a furniture store in Bordentown, NJ, and I joined them. Fourteen years later, my father and I bought my uncle out of the business. My father passed away in 2007, and I purchased the remaining shares of the business from his estate.

Today, Jaron’s Furniture Outlet continues to thrive even in difficult economic times because of our diverse selection, unbeatable prices, and commitment to customer service. So you see, I have come full circle working in both businesses that were in the bloodlines of my family for generations. Funny how life goes!