Hub Furniture
291 Fore Street, Portland, ME
You see that big old brick building on Fore Street? The one that looks more like a warehouse than a fancy furniture store? That's Hub Furniture. And if these walls could talk—oy—they'd never stop.
Now, before it sold sofas, that building made chewing gum. That's right! Long before anyone was arguing over recliners and dining room tables, it was home to one of America's very first chewing gum factories. Can you imagine? A furniture store that started with spruce gum! Only in Maine. But the Jewish story begins a little later.
Back in 1913, two young Jewish immigrants, Sam Novick and Max Simonds, opened a little furniture store on Congress Street. They came from the very same village in what is now Belarus, and like so many Jewish immigrants, they arrived with more courage than money. Before there was a store, Sam delivered tea around Portland from a horse-drawn wagon. Every customer, every handshake, every sale—it all mattered. That's how you built a life in America.
Now listen carefully, because this is the important part. They didn't build Hub Furniture by trying to get rich overnight. They built it one family at a time. A newly married couple needed a dining table? Hub helped them. A family welcoming their first baby needed a crib? Hub helped them. Someone finally saved enough to buy their first real sofa after years of hand-me-downs? You guessed it—Hub helped them.
Furniture isn't just furniture; it's where babies take their first steps. It's where families gather for Friday night dinner. It's where grandchildren curl up beside their grandparents to hear stories...
Then came the hard times. The Great Depression. Two world wars. Urban renewal that bulldozed entire neighborhoods. Twice, the store had to move because the city changed around it. Smaller businesses would have closed their doors. But not Hub. The Novicks simply packed up, found another home, and kept serving Portland. Eventually, they settled into this enormous old building on Fore Street, where they could store furniture in the warehouse and sell it directly to customers without all the fancy showroom prices. They called it 'warehouse pricing.' We just called it a good deal.
And here's why everyone respected the Novicks. Success never made them forget where they came from.
For generations, if someone in Portland needed help furnishing an apartment after a fire, escaping homelessness, or starting over with nothing, chances are the Novicks quietly showed up. They donated furniture to families in need, supported local charities, and gave generously to organizations like Preble Street, United Way, and the Jewish Community Alliance. They never made a big fuss about it. They just did what Jews have always tried to do—take care of the community.
You know, that's what I love most about this story. Hub Furniture isn't famous because it sold couches. It's famous because it proved that a family business could survive for generations by treating customers like neighbors and neighbors like family.
Today, when you walk through those old wooden floors, you're not just walking through a furniture store. You're walking through more than a century of Portland history. Four generations of the Novick family have welcomed people through those doors, helping furnish thousands of Maine homes with tables where holiday meals were shared, beds where babies slept, and rocking chairs where grandparents bounced their grandchildren.
So the next time someone says, 'It's just a furniture store,' you smile. Because you know better. It's a story about immigrants. It's a story about family. It's a story about generosity. And if you ask me, that's the strongest foundation any home—or any community—could ever have."
