Life After Death – The Rose Greenberg Story
Ultimately, it’s the love that makes it all worthwhile.
Unthinkable grief
At the height of the pandemic, 27 year old Rose Greenberg took her life.
It was an unthinkable loss that no one could have prepared themselves for. Not her husband, nor her two kids. Not her small business, and certainly not Zoe Friedlander – her very own mother.
A couple months before she passed away, Rose had recorded a voice note answering some questions for a podcast interview. She shared some background around the birth of her business, the sustainability of her products, and a recent identity crisis she had found herself in.
“I’m sort of having an identity crisis right now in terms of this business because it’s growing a lot and I’m re-understanding why it is that I’m doing what I do and what exactly it is that I do.”
Her aim was to create multifunctional products, items that could be appreciated in various different ways by her customers. She was very passionate about the pillows she made – pillows that were “design-focused," “unique and affordable.” (Rose Greenberg, 2020)
In her podcast interview, it seemed that although she was navigating a bit of an identity crisis, she had understood the value of what she was creating.
“I make these as space warmers and human warmers. And I think now during Covid more than ever, people need something that makes them smile and gives them something they can dive into.” (Rose Greenberg, 2020)
Unfortunately, it seems no one could see what was about to come in the weeks following this interview, and for those closest to her, it changed everything.
The power of a passion
Julie Halpert published an article to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), sharing the story of Zoe Friedlander, Rose’s mother who left her job at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to run her daughter’s business after her death.
On the topic of why she chose to take the wheel of the business and keep it going, Zoe shared that “it was a way to connect with what she had been doing.” (Wall Street Journal, 2022) She had also mentioned that interacting with the community Rose had built, and the people who loved the things she made was a way to “keep her name alive.” (Wall Street Journal, 2022)
Love never dies
The passion that Rose leveraged to build a successful company that people have come to know and love over the years has helped sustain her memory and the legacy she built while she was here. As cited in the WSJ article, one of the customers sent an email to Zoe Friedlander that read; “I hope you know that Rose will live on with every person who has purchased a pillow, followed her or met her.”
Perhaps that love will continue to grow as the Rose Greenberg company continues to grow. Just last year, the company grossed nearly $60,000 in revenue, and as of this writing they are slated to exceed that number by the end of the year. Ultimately, it’s the love that makes it all worthwhile for Zoe, Rose’s beloved mother.
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