With $3,000 and little experience in running a business, Violet Marjory Pollack opened a fabric and sewing accessories store, which would later became one of the largest in the Chicago suburbs.
Mrs. Pollack, 89, of Elmhurst, formerly of Downers Grove, the founder of Mari Lee Fabrics Inc., died of congestive heart failure Sunday, March 21, at Lexington Square of Elmhurst.
“She opened her first store in the face of absolute discouragement from almost everyone she knew, but she did it anyway,” said her daughter, Marilyn Moist. “She was a very determined lady, who had excellent instincts and just a whole lot of confidence in herself.”
Born in Chicago, Mrs. Pollack spent most of her childhood in Berwyn. The oldest of 10 children, she dropped out of high school after her first year to help support her family. One of her first jobs was at a dry cleaners in Forest Park, which she eventually bought and ran for a few years. During that time she was married to Joe Pollack, her husband of 54 years, who died in 1988.
In 1951, Mrs. Pollack moved with her family to Downers Grove. Ten years later, and with the help of her late husband, she founded Mari Lee Fabrics Inc., a fabric and sewing accessories business, named after her daughter. The first Mari Lee store was at 1029 Burlington Ave. in Downers Grove, followed by the second store in La Grange and a third in Wheaton. In 1967, the couple bought the old Yackley Grocery Store on Ogden Avenue in Downers Grove and moved their original store to that location.
In 1977 the La Grange store was sold and a few years later the Wheaton store was liquidated. In 1988, 27 years to the day after the first store was opened, liquidation began on the Downers Grove store.
“It had gotten to the point that people just weren’t sewing as much as they used to,” said her daughter. “The big malls had opened up and schools had even taken sewing out of the curriculum.”
Family members credit Mrs. Pollack’s emphasis on customer service and her excellent contacts within the sewing industry for her success in business.
“She had the most loyal customers and employees you could imagine,” said her daughter, who helped run the business for several years. “She was just an all around generous person when it came to her time and money.”
Other survivors include three brothers, Edward Adams, Daniel Adams and Marvin Adams; three sisters, Evelyn Smutny, Betty Donaldson and Carol Karch; a granddaughter, Sharon Moist; and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be from 9 a.m., until the time of services at 11 a.m. Thursday in Messiah Lutheran Church, 130 W. Butterfield Rd., Elmhurst.
