In her book ‘Pull Yourself Up by your Bra Straps’, Jeanne Bice observed that one’s thoughts and beliefs are influenced and shaped by a combination of people in our lives.  For Jeanne, two men who forever shaped her beliefs growing up were her father, Ernie Freund, and his uncle Joe.

Ernie was a hard-working auctioneer whom Jeanne describes as ‘a prude’.  ‘Keep your nose to the grindstone: work hard, struggle and you’ll be a success,’ Jeanne recalled his advice. But first and foremost, Ernie was a talker and story teller. Before he started an auction, he always took time to talk about the family whose property he was selling, creating empathy, building credibility that resulted in successful sales time after time. ‘I was born with a big mouth, Jeanne wrote, ‘and my dad showed me how to use it!’

Uncle Joe, on the other hand, was a talented carpenter, who built furniture and homes for a living.  One Christmas he surprised Jeanne by creating a fantasy land in his living room, with 6 Christmas trees, and a complete village of miniature buildings he had made just for her.  ‘There were millions of lights on trees, mirrors that sparkled like ice–oh, it was just magical,’ she wrote.

‘Uncle Joe introduced me to the joy of creating something magical out of the simplest of supplies.’

A photo of Jeanne and Dick Freund with their father Ernie.

Every Quacker who ever saw Jeanne Bice on QVC will realize that her ability to inspire and entertain with her stories, as well as the ‘sparkle and shine’ magic she created with the her designs, were influenced by her dad and her Uncle Joe. That inspiration continues at Quacker Factory to this day.

So on this Father’s Day Weekend, everyone at Quacker Factory salute all Fathers, Uncles, Step-fathers, and men everywhere who have supported, inspired and loved girls and boys–kids and grown-up–and taught them to believe in themselves and to dream.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

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