Philip Herbert Kabachnick

Philip Herbert Kabachnick, age 78, of Madeira Beach, Florida, formerly of Middletown, Connecticut, passed away on Feb. 23, 2014 after a courageous battle with cancer. Phil was a family man and a businessman who treated his employees, colleagues and friends as if they, too, were family. Born April 24, 1935 in Torrington, Phil attended and played football at Suffield Academy before he was stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army. After graduating from Hobart College, Phil joined the stock brokerage firm of Oppenheimer and Co. in New York. He went on to operate several successful retail operations in Connecticut, including the Fashion Post, a junior women's clothing store, opened in 1961 in Middletown. It closed due to a devastating fire six years later. More determined than ever, Phil opened Kabachnick, a women's specialty department store. It became a destination on Main Street Middletown for sixteen years, attracting customers from as far away as California. Singing commercials ran on local radio stations and encouraged people to "do the Kabachnick." Phil decided to close the Kabachnick store and the closing of Kabachnick became a major media event, covered by all three major television stations. When he presided over an employee reunion 22 years later, that made the news, too. Phil then founded and operated the New York Clothing Company, a unique concept in discount retailing that later became popular nationwide. In 1994, he joined The Kabachnick Group a consulting company founded in 1984 by his wife Terri where he served as CFO until his recent illness. Phil is survived by his loving wife, Terri Kabachnick, devoted daughter, Tracy Ramsay and his grandchildren, Philip Ramsay and Samantha Ramsay who were his pride and joy. He leaves many adoring nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, and friends. Phil was predeceased by his parents, Eva and Leo Kabachnick and his sisters Edythe Shapiro and Claire Reibman. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 11:00 at the Anderson McQueen Funeral Home - 7820 38th Avenue North in St. Petersburg, Florida - followed by a reception at home. A gathering of family and friends will be held in Connecticut in the near future, date to be determined. Contact Elaine Reibman Surveski [email protected] or Lynne Reibman Rudek [email protected] for more information. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida.