Obituaries: Co-Founders of Burlington, Dressbarn

Two pioneers in the discount retailing sector have passed away in recent months. They are both pre-deceased by their respective spouses, who also co-founded the businesses in question.

Recently deceased are: Roslyn Jaffe, who co-founded Dressbarn (Mahwah, N.J.), and Monroe Milstein, co-founder of Burlington Coat Factory (Burlington, N.J.)

Here’s an excerpt from Jaffee’s obituary by The New York Times as it appears on Legacy.com: “Determined to pursue higher education at a time when few women did, Roslyn attended Simmons College in Boston, graduating in 1950 with a degree in business math, which, when combined with her common sense and pragmatism, provided her with the strong business foundation that would serve her well. After college, Roslyn began her career as an executive trainee at Gimbels department. There, she honed the  skills in merchandising, sales and store operations that would become essential to her future success as an entrepreneur.

“During this time, she also met her husband, Elliot Jaffe, with whom she would share a lifelong partnership in both business and life. In the early 1960s, while raising their three children, Roslyn saw a gap in the market that would spark a revolution in women’s retail. Working women like herself were entering the workforce in greater numbers, but they lacked access to affordable, stylish, and professional.”

Starting from a single store in Stamford, Conn., Dressbarn eventually became a national chain with more than 700 stores. In 2011, the company changed its name to Ascena, which included such brands as Maurices, Justice (previously Limited Too), Lane Bryant Catherines, Fashion Bug Ann Taylor and Loft in 2015. In the face of increased competition, Dress Barn closed its physical stores in 2019, but the brand continues to operate a DTC store under the ownership of private equity firm Retail Ecommerce Ventures, which has not ruled out a return to physical spaces.

In addition to her business acumen, Jaffe is lauded for her numerous charitable endeavors. As her obit noted, “Deeply committed to giving back, she focused her energy on causes that uplifted women and children, especially in underserved communities. In 2014, the Ascena Foundation established the Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards, or “Mrs. J Awards,” in her honor.

As for Burlington’s Milstein, his obituary in the Times said, “His was not exactly a rags-to-riches story, but his family made $1.3 billion from an original down payment of $75,000 in savings.”

“In 1972, he and his wife, Henrietta Milstein, ventured her savings as a Long Island teacher and transformed a former factory in Burlington, N.J., which they had bought for $675,000, into a mecca for busloads of frugal customers. They lured their patrons from the Philadelphia metropolitan area and beyond to buy marked-down designer and brand-name coats for women and, later, linens, men’s wear, baby clothes and shoes.” (To reflect its broadened merchandise assortment, the off-price retailer changed its name to Burlington Stores in 2009.)

By the time the Milsteins divested their family-run company in 2006 by selling it to Bain Capital, it was operating 367 stores in 42 states. (Today it has grown to have more than 1100 stores in 47 states and Puerto Rico.)