Lester Gribetz, a former Bloomingdale’s vice chairman and for a long time a highly respected and talented retail executive immersed in the house furnishings and cosmetics industries, died Thursday morning at his home in Manhattan along with his husband by his side. He was 93.

“Lester was a special and rare human being,” said his husband, Andy Peters, who confirmed Gribetz’s passing. “His open heart and type, caring nature captured everyone he got here into contact with. He was also a talented, once-in-a-generation merchant, which guided him from folding towels at Bloomingdale’s just out of the military to becoming vice chairman of the shop.”

“He was a master merchant with an ideal eye,” said Jack Hruska, the previous executive vice chairman of store design and artistic services at Bloomingdale’s. “He loved merchandise and will search and discover great product.”

Gribetz was born within the Washington Heights section of Recent York City and spent most of his life in Manhattan on the Upper West Side. He had several homes over time in Sagaponack, Shelter Island, and Amagansett, Recent York in addition to in Greensboro, Vermont. His final six months were spent in his apartment of 45 years in The San Remo on Central Park West. 

Gribetz joined Bloomingdale’s in 1953 in the chief training program and he spent most of his profession in the corporate’s home furnishings department. He became senior vice chairman of home in 1977, general merchandise manager of home and cosmetics in 1979 and executive vice chairman and gmm of home, cosmetics and restaurants in 1980.

In 1989, he was named Bloomingdale’s vice chairman with added responsibilities for special merchandising projects including private label marketing and the lads’s division.

During his years at Bloomingdale’s he worked closely with, amongst others, two legendary figures there, the late Marvin Traub, who for a few years served as chairman and chief executive officer, and Barbara D’Arcy, the late Bloomingdale’s fashion director for home. They formed a powerful partnership shopping the world for unique goods and elevating Bloomingdale’s image and assortments.

Gribetz left Bloomingdale’s in 1992 and joined the retailer’s former chief, Traub, who formed Marvin Traub Associates, which served as a consultant to American Express, Giorgio Armani, Men’s Health, Burberry, HSN, Adrienne Vittadini and other clients.

In 2001, Gribetz returned to Bloomingdale’s as vice chairman of home furnishings fashion direction, reporting to Joe Laneve, senior vice chairman and gmm of home. Gribetz subsequently worked for several years as president of Lenox Corp., the tableware brand, president of Dansk, and president of Hartmann, the bags company.

Through the AIDS pandemic, Gribetz worked with God’s Love We Deliver to cook Thanksgiving Turkeys within the Bloomingdale’s restaurant oven which could be delivered to the house sure and sick while living with AIDS.

“Quite a lot of persons are interesting but only a few persons are involved in people. Lester was considered one of those rare individuals who was,” said Michael Gould, former CEO of Bloomingdale’s. “He was creative and a terrific merchant. He understood fashion in addition to barrel out the products. He had enormous impact on the house store. But he was also an ideal selector of individuals, and would discover individuals with great talent who he thought could expand and grow. That’s the actual legacy.”

Gould recalled an episode when Gribetz wanted to advertise a then-young Tony Spring, who was working as an area manager at Bloomingdale’s in White Plains, Recent York, to divisional merchandise manager in housewares. Traub said no, considering Spring was too young to handle the role. Gould, on the time Bloomingdale’s CEO-in-waiting, went into Traub’s office with Gribetz to lobby for Spring’s promotion, and Traub modified his mind, saying, “Tony is young, but when Lester thinks he has that sort of potential, it’s your call Mike.” Spring got the promotion and over time was promoted several times, rising to CEO of Bloomingdale’s. Last March, Spring was named president and future CEO of Macy’s Inc.

“The Tony story is an example of an individual Lester saw having the talent to realize,” said Gould. “Lester was a pricey friend.”

“He was continuously at work, constructing partnerships. He had more energy than most individuals I do know. Only within the last yr he just barely began to decelerate,” said Hruska. “He had this incredible energy that made you’re feeling more energetic. We had an in depth friendship way beyond our working relationship. He was just so well liked on either side on the industry, retail and wholesale. Everyone appreciated his zest for all times.”

On the occasion of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Bloomingdale’s, Gribetz told WWD: “What I feel the shopper told us is that they wanted things that were exclusive and well-designed. Price was not the differentiator, it was more the distinctiveness of the merchandise. That’s why we traveled everywhere in the world to bring back things that were exclusive to the stores. From my interaction with customers, it was the incontrovertible fact that they may find things that weren’t distributed in every single place in every department store. That’s what I feel was our challenge, to bring back the unique. That’s why we were so successful with the shows, whether that be China or India or Israel. That’s when the shop was mobbed for purchasers searching for the unique and the differentials. Through the show days, it was truly probably the most exciting period of my life to bring back the craft and the distinctiveness and the design of many of the countries that almost all of our customers hadn’t traveled to.”

Gribetz said he experienced “so many unique moments and exciting times” at Bloomingdale’s. “It was probably the most joyous period of my life working in the shop due to day-to-day challenges and the wonderful talent of the people I worked with. If I were to say what gave me probably the most pleasure was to work with the individuals who worked for me, who became remarkably successful, whether or not it’s Sue Kronick or Norman Axelrod or Tony Spring, which shows no less than I had the talent of selecting good people. They were all just splendidly talented individuals who knew the mission and went after it with a vengeance. I feel the enjoyment of success was apparent in everybody’s mind and was an ideal experience. It actually was the highlight of my life.”

“I met Lester when he was a gmm at Bloomingdale’s and I used to be a department manager in White Plains,” said Spring. “I used to be immediately struck by his imagination, his ability to encourage people. His knowledge of the business. His curiosity. He had such an ideal way with people along with being a really creative person. He had an infectious enthusiasm for ideas.

“Whether it was bringing back a chunk of the Berlin Wall, our model rooms on the house floor, or the country promotions, he was within the thick of all of it, partnering with Barbara D’Arcy and Marvin. He lived a phenomenal life, connected with so many individuals, and made a difference to many generations of retail leaders. He challenged you to think beyond the product. I’m lucky enough to have counted him as a mentor and a friend,” Spring added.

Along with his husband, Gribetz is survived by his sister Harriet of Quincy, Florida and lots of nieces and nephews.

A personal graveside service shall be held on Monday. A memorial service for a later date will soon be announced. Donations in Lester’s name could be made to God’s Love We Deliver in Recent York City.