Los Angeles County
Biographies
MURRAY
ZWICK
There
probably isn’t a parent or grandparent in the entire San Gabriel Valley who has
never heard of Toytown in Rosemead!
Children know about it, too, as they pass the word along about where to
get their trains repaired and the marvelous things they’ve seen at
Toytown. The business itself has had an
interesting evolution until it now reflects many of the personal interests of
its owner, Murray Zwick, who was originally in the grocery business, then the
proprietor of a variety store, and in 1946 built Toytown at its present
location, 8914 Valley Boulevard, opening with twelve hundred fifty square feet,
now encompassing approximately twenty-five thousand square feet plus twenty-five
thousand square feet of parking. Mr.
Zwick’s own interest in youth development and his love of sports have found
expression in his present business which handles a large volume and variety of
bicycles, a complete line of sporting goods, and has been the leader since its
opening, in electric train sales and repairs.
Employing from thirteen to forty people, Toytown is the largest and most
complete store of its type in the area, carrying all the most important trade
names and highly promoted items in toys.
The store is designed for ease and speed of shopping, employing modern
methods of merchandising. The managerial
staff at Toytown is composed of Murray Zwick, owner, and Raoul Zwick, assistant
buyer of books, bicycles, and sporting goods, in charge of special events in
advertising, model shows, bicycling, and the like. Mark Kimmelmann is the train expert at
Toytown.
In
addition to the very real contribution of operating a fine business in
Rosemead, Mr. Zwick has been active in all community undertakings and is the
present head of the Rosemead Improvement Group.
He is a member of the Rosemead Chamber of Commerce, serving on its
promotions for many years, and was an active member and officer of the Rosemead
Chamber of Commerce Juniors.
Born
in Montreal, Canada, on July 19, 1909, Murray Zwick is the son of Bernard and
Sarah Zwick. His father, now deceased,
was a native of Austria who had lived in Los Angeles and Eagle Rock; his mother
was a native of Romania. Mr. Zwick
received his elementary education in Canada and graduated from Harvard High
School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1925.
He later took some college courses in evening classes, and lived in New
York City from 1925 to 1927 as clerk and manager in a grocery store.
Coming
to Los Angeles in 1927, Mr. Zwick gained experience in the grocery business for
eleven years, spending the first two years as manager of Dailey’s Grocery
Company, a year as manager for Vons Markets, and then worked for Safeway Stores
as manager until 1937, spending three of those years in Oregon for Safeway
Stores. In 1937 he opened his own market
in Glendale, Glen Oaks Grocery, and nine months later moved to Rosemead,
opening Murray’s Variety Store at Rosemead and Valley Boulevard, later moving
down the street to larger quarters and operating Murray’s Department Store
until 1946, when he established Toytown.
Mr.
Zwick is a charter member of the Rosemead Lions Club. His religious affiliation is with B’nai
Israel Temple in El Monte; he was chairman of the Temple’s funds committee for
seven years. He was in the California
State Guard for four years during World War II.
The
former Miss Betty Ann Kimmelman of Los Angeles became
Mrs. Murray Zwick on January 4, 1936.
She is active in and has held offices in the Rosemead Junior Women’s
Club. A trustee and member of the board
of directors of the B’nai Israel Temple, Mrs. Zwick is head of the gift
shop. She has worked in her husband’s
business, on various occasions, until 1962.
The Zwick’s have three sons: Raoul Zwick, born on December 31, 1936, is a
graduate of Muscatel School, Rosemead High School, where he was president of
the Key Club and played football and basketball, and the University of Southern
California. His wife is the former Joy Roseberg of Steubenville, Ohio, and they are the parents of
two young sons, Louis and Brian. Howard
Zwick, born on August 23, 1941, attended the same schools as his brother; in
high school was a member of the Varsity Club and on the track and football
teams. He attended Pasadena City College,
Mt. San Antonio College, and is presently studying at Woodbury College. Bernard Zwick, born on December 18, 1944, is
attending Rosemead High School where he is very active in track and a member of
the Varsity Club. In 1961 he broke the
school record in shot-put, fifty-five feet, which remains unbeaten.
Murray
Zwick has always loved baseball and helped organize the first minor league
baseball team in Rosemead seventeen years ago.
He organized the first Model Club in Rosemead in 1941, is a baseball and
bowling team sponsor, and is on the board of the Rosemead Youth Association.
Transcribed
by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Historical Volume &
Reference Works Including Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel &
Temple City, by Robert P. Studer, Pages 457-458,
Historical Publ., Los Angeles, California.
1962.
© 2013 V.
Gerald Iaquinta.
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