Larry Blumberg

Blumberg’s family operated Blumberg’s Department Store, the largest in downtown Dothan before it closed in the mid 1970s, and Barry Kraselsky’s family ran a downtown shoe store. Blumberg was born in Dothan on June 19, 1944. He attended Dothan High School and graduated from the University of Alabama. After graduation he lived in Atlanta, working for Rich’s Department Stores, and returned to Dothan in 1970. He partnered with Aaron Aronov, a shopping center developer in Montgomery who was the father of a fellow UA graduate, to develop the Sheraton Inn (now Clarion Inn & Suites) on the city’s south side. Because Blumberg had no hotel experience, the partnership with Aronov gave him added credibility as he learned the business.