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Bercovici, Israel; Olympus Furniture (1912-1997)

Bercovici, Israel; Olympus Furniture

East End, London; bedroom furniture makers (fl.1912-97)

Israel Bercovici came to London from the village of Sevan in northern Romania in 1911. 

By 1912 he had a business, Olympus Furniture, in Vallance Road, Bethnal Green. After a series of moves around the East End, Curtain Road, Bethnal Green and Cambridge Heath, Olympus Furniture settled in the 1950s in a factory in Vyner Street, Cambridge Heath, which had previously been occupied by Austinsuite. 

Israel’s son, Gerry Burke, joined him in 1932 and their production was mainly of high quality bedroom suites, which were supplied to Nathan Steinberg (whose sons later formed Stonehill Furniture) and to retailers such as Wolfe and Hollander in Tottenham Court Road. 

In 1963 they moved to a 100,000 square foot factory in Lea Bridge Road. 

The firm was still active in 1997, being run by Gerry, with his son and son-in-law producing bedroom and dining room suites. 

The company went into voluntary liquidation in 2014.

Source: Massil, Immigrant Furniture Workers in London 1881-1939 (1997).