Fred Brick, ‘one of a kind’ furniture store owner, dies at 80

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/07/2016 (3419 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For decades, the name Brick was synonymous with fine furniture sold downtown. But for years, owners Fred Brick and his wife Cynthia had to fight to keep their name above the doorway.

On Monday, one half of that partnership died. Fred Brick was 80.

Cynthia, his wife and business partner, said Tuesday that Brick died after a bout with pneumonia. He had battled Alzheimer’s for a few years.

“We weren’t expecting it,” she said.

“We were together 24/7 for so many years, but he was a lot of fun to be with.”

The Bricks opened their downtown furniture store, Brick’s Fine Furniture, in 1969 with money from the sale of Fred’s coin collection. Later, to move into a new location, they needed to re-mortgage both their home and his mother-in-law’s.

But when The Brick opened in Winnipeg in the early 1990s, that company took the Bricks to court over the similar name and business.

It took five years, but the Federal Court finally upheld their right to use their family name in their store’s name.

“It was awful,” Cynthia said.

“But we had to fight them. Fred always said the only thing we have in this world is your good name so I don’t want them to take it from us.”

Last year, the furniture store did close, but a short time later reopened at a new location at 171 Bannatyne Ave.

Sandy Shindleman, CEO and president of Shindico, whom the Bricks credit with helping them find a new location, said Fred Brick was “one of a kind.”

“He was at the side of the leader Cynthia, a team of independents that out-lived the competition… they kept ahead of the times.

“May he rest in peace.”

Through the years, many Winnipeggers who never bought a stick of furniture from the couple knew who they were from their advertisements on Page 3 of the Free Press on Fridays.

The advertisements, which over time morphed into a column written by Fred Brick, talked about the store, the furniture industry, or just anecdotes that came up in his life.

Brick’s opinion-column-advertisements always ended with a comment by his dog Roxy, followed in later years by his new puppy Gigi.

Cynthia has been penning the column since her husband became ill.

“I enjoyed his columns,” she said.

“That’s like he was. His column was really a slice of life. The column was much more than about furniture.”

Brick’s funeral will be held at Shaarey Zedek Synagogue on Thursday at 11 a.m.

Besides his wife, Brick is survived by five children and seven grandchildren.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca