Sam Flax

Sam Flax arrived in America from Eastern Europe in 1898 at the age of seven, with a dollar in his pocket. He started working at a young age to contribute to the family’s fund to bring additional family members over from Europe. He had his first job at a small stationery store, and then opened his first art supply store in New York City during the Great Depression. It was successful. He helped his three older brothers, and their children open their own independent stores in Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Sam Flax was loved by his customers. Norman Rockwell and Zero Mostel were poor kids trying to make a name for themselves in the art world: they had little money to pay for their supplies, so Sam said, “take what you need, and pay me when you can.” They did take, and they did pay. Even today, we often hear how Sam helped his customers with supplies and even vendors by giving them their first order.