Robert J. Lapidus

Robert J. Lapidus, who turned a surplus business into his Bob's Stores, a major clothing retailer in the Northeast, died Friday. He was 78. Lapidus died at the John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington, according to the Doolittle Funeral Home of Crowmell. Known in Middletown simply as "Bob," the hometown entrepreneur had more than 30 stores with his moniker throughout the Northeast. He started his first store, Bob's Surplus, on Main Street in Middletown in 1954 when he was 25. The store carried his philosophy, "Treat all customers with respect and dignity and they will return again and again." Customers did just that, prompting Lapidus to move to a larger location across the street; that stored burned down in 1967. He rebuilt and expanded and eventually Bob's Surplus became Bob's Stores, which specializes in casual clothing and footwear. In 1990, Lapidus sold the company to retailer Melville, which also owned CVS, Thom McAn and Marshalls Inc. Bob's stores are now owned by The TJX Cos. Lapidus earned several national and local awards in his career and in 1988 inducted into the Institute of American Entrepreneurs. He retired in 1994 at 64.