Wiki Biography / Profile Background
Introduction :
- Mara Urshel is a retail executive.
- She is also one of the owners and president of Kleinfeld Bridal.
Personal Life : Parents, Family and Education
- Mara Urshel was born on November 12, 1939, in Latvia. At the time, her father was the president of the Bank of Latvia and her mother was a university professor.
- In 1942, when Mara was three years old, her family fled the Soviet occupation of Latvia. Mara then spent seven years in a refugee camp in Germany with her parents, her brother, and her sister.
- The family then relocated to Michigan in the United States, and her parents worked in jobs that were not suited to their experience levels. Her father initially worked in bakeries, and her mother initially worked as a cleaner but then worked her way back to becoming an accountant.
- Mara attended the University of Michigan (UMich) in Ann Arbor from 1958 to 1962 and graduated with a degree in biochemistry.
- While attending the University of Michigan, Mara married her first husband in Ann Arbor City Hall between two of her classes! At the time of this marriage, she was twenty-five years old, and he was divorced.
- She later married her second husband, Richard Kitt, in an apartment in New York City.
- After Richard Kitt passed away, Mara met her current partner in life (and in business), Ronald Rothstein.
- She continues to reside in New York City.
Career, Income, Revenue and Net Worth :
- After graduating from the University of Michigan, Mara initially worked in the scientific field. She was a senior chemist for a pharmaceutical company in Chicago. She was then involved with the National Institutes of Health in Washington D. C., researching cancer research projects. She also started selling couture at the Lord & Taylor store.
- After attending a fashion seminar, she was offered a job at the Tony Garfinckel department store.
- She then became the vice president of Saks Fifth Avenue in 1973, followed by a stint as Senior Vice President, a role in which she remained until 1992.
- In 1999, Mara bought the failing company Kleinfeld’s along with Ronald Rothstein and the late Wayne Rogers.
- Since then, with her leadership & business skills, Mara has been instrumental in making Kleinfeld’s Bridal thrive. Her role as president has greatly contributed to the brand’s success.
Interesting Facts, Height and Trivia :
- Despite being so successful in the bridal fashion business, Mara did not wear a wedding dress for either of her two weddings – For her first wedding she wore a white knit dress with pink rosebuds designed by Jonathan Logan, and for her second wedding she wore a white silk suit with a pleated skirt.
- She was the mind behind Kleinfeld’s relocation from Brooklyn to Manhattan. The flagship store is a sprawling and luxurious 35,000-square-foot property.
- Mara makes it a point to give the brides purchasing dresses at Kleinfeld’s her personal mobile phone number so that they can reach her at any time during the process.
Personal / Home / Contact Details
- Mara Urshel Married? : Yes
- Children / No of Kids : No confirmed information is available.
- Ethnicity / Origin / Heritage / Race : White
- Nationality : American