PALM BEACH, Fla.—The founders of Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. were at the Four Seasons Resort here this month, chatting about how they turned two small stores into a retail force and pop-culture phenomenon.
Money was tight and what little of it they had went to merchandise, not to advertising or trying to make stores look pretty. To hide the industrial fixtures, they piled towels, linens and bedding to the ceiling, giving rise to the clutter that became a hallmark of the chain, which started in the New York City suburbs.
