Art Engel, 79

Home Textiles Today Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 8/21/2012 12:15:44 PM

Great Neck, N.Y. - Services were held here this morning for Art Engel, a long-time home textiles industry veteran who crafted two careers in the business, first in the curtain business and then with his own travel agency that catered to the industry.
Engel, 79, died yesterday from complications after a heart attack.
The first portion of his career was spent with Cameo Curtains, the window specialist that later became part of CHF. He worked there for 30 years.
But Engel only left there to begin the next chapter of his life, joining his wife Rita to create Crossways Travel, an agency that specialized in serving the home textiles industry. That business operated for many years and at its height Crossways hosted several thank-you parties for its clients at the Top of the Tower club where prizes included free airline tickets, hotel stays and other travel arrangements. It was a hugely popular event and Art and Rita were the quintessential hosts.
Later Crossways morphed into a hotel reservations service called NYCHotelDISCOUNTS.com that continues today.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by three sons, Marc, Stuart and Jamie and their wives Toby and Vicki, as well as two grandchildren, Ryann and Drew.
The family has asked that donations be made to ACLD is his name at www.acld.org.