Modell's: family owned since 1889 - a love of retailing continues undiminished into the fourth generation

Henry Modell & Co. Inc. is a fourth-generation family-owned sporting goods retailer that operates 20 stores in the New York - New Jersey area, employs 650 people, and reported sales of approximately $50 million in 1985. The firm was founded in 1889 by Morris A. Modell, an immigrant from Eastern Europe, taken over by his son, Henry Modell upon Morris's death, and is currently run by Henry's son, William, whose two sons, Michael and Mitchell, are employed by the company. The history of the store and the succession of authority within the family is discussed, and the emphasis on mentorship to minimize rivalries is traced through the four generations of Modell's management.