A Chat with Steve Singer, president, Hartford York
Singer: When I was a child, my father owned an army surplus store in the San Francisco Bay area. And I worked in that business from the time I was 9 until I was 18 and went away to college. When I came back from college and some years abroad, I established a business at the flea market in San Jose, because that's what I knew how to do. That shortly became a retail storefront in Palo Alto, Calif, where I was in business for about 10 to12 years in the outdoor apparel and equipment industry. I was involved in a magnificent, high-end European toy store in San Francisco — an ill-fated venture, but not for lack of trying. It really was probably the most beautiful toy store in the world. After the failure of that venture, as I mentioned, we started Lilliput, which has proved to be a successful venture. It was for me for many years and continues to be for my ex-partner. And now the hat business. I've been selling products, and I've always been selling non-essential products. I've never sold food or shelter. I've been selling luxury goods. And I've been doing that for my lifetime. That's what I like to do, I like to sell stuff to people.