Paul Goldenberg, Paul’s TV founder, philanthropist, and movie enthusiast, passed away last month at his home.
Goldenberg got his start in the consumer electronics business in the 1950s when he opened a small TV repair shop (Coast TV) in Hollywood. In 1964, he moved to La Habra, Calif., to open Paul’s TV, which became the largest, single-store television retailer in the U.S. , his family said.
He later began calling himself “King of the big TV” in advertisements with the 1978 launch of the first big-screen TVs. For about two decades, Mitsubishi named Paul’s as its biggest single-store seller of Mitsubishi big-screen TVs.
Paul’s TV operated out of its single La Habra store until was sold in 2006 to a private-equity group, and soon after, Babak Ghaznavi, a veteran of the Circuit City and Good Guys chains, was named president. The company then began opening A/V shops within furniture stores and, at its peak, operated 50 such boutiques. The company currently operates seven California outlets and four in New England. In 2014, Paul’s TV was 57th on TWICE’s list of Top 100 CE retailers by dollar volume.
In a statement, Paul’s TV said, “His warmth, wisdom and concern for others will leave a lifelong impression in the hearts and lives of all who knew him. Paul, you were a King – rest in peace.”
