Career
Polk was one of six children born to a Romanian Jewish immigrants to the United States. He worked as a concessionaire at the 1933 World"s Fair and then during the Great Depression, sold irons and ironing boards door-to-door. In 1946, the company was incorporated and the name changed to Polk Brothers, Incorporated. after the five Polk brothers: Sol, Samuel, Morris, Harry and David (he also had a sister, Goldie Bachmann Luftig).
Polk Brothers became wildly popular as the first appliance retailer to sell at a discount to the suggested manufacturers retail price and in the 1950s and 1960s, Polk Brothers became the largest retailer of brand-name appliances in the country with 15 stores and over $100 million in annual sales.
Polk Brothers was also was the first retailer of color television sets and microwave ovens in the country. Polk had a reputation as showman and master merchandiser for his innovative and bold marketing campaigns.
He was one of the first to advertise in color on television which helped to fuel the purchase of color television In 1957, he offered a job to the unemployed Lord Mayor of Dublin and in 1966, he bought 250,000 pineapples and handed them out to customers.
In 1966, he received the B'nai B'rith Humanitarian Award.
Polk never married. In 1988, Polk died. Services were held at the Oak Park Temple. Polk Brothers closed in 1992 and its assets transferred to the Polk Brothers
Foundation.
