The Letter in the Basement: The Incredible True Story Behind Lieber's Luggage

For decades, Lieber's Luggage has been Albuquerque's go-to source for everything travel. But the name on our storefront carries a history that spans continents, generations, and a daring escape from World War II Europe — and it almost stayed buried in a basement forever.

A Discovery in August 2017

The true origins of the Lieber's name were something of a mystery — until Richard Krulik started sorting through old family documents in his mother's basement.

What he found stopped him cold.

Tucked among the papers was a letter dated 1939, printed on the official letterhead of "Lieber's Luggage Shops" out of Cleveland, Ohio. It was an affidavit of sponsorship, signed by Max Lieber — the original founder of our store's namesake.

As World War II began to unfold across Europe, Max had used his business and his own personal resources to sponsor Richard's grandfather, Hans (John) Ax, helping him escape Austria. Max didn't just sign a piece of paper. He guaranteed Hans a safe home and a $75 monthly allowance to make sure he landed on his feet in the United States.

Hans made it out. He survived.

The Most Remarkable Part

Here's what makes this story extraordinary: Max and Hans almost certainly didn't know each other.

Max Lieber was deeply involved in a Cleveland Jewish refugee organization, and it is believed he willingly put his livelihood on the line to write sponsorship letters for complete strangers — people he would never meet, whose names he may have received from a list, whose faces he may never have seen.

He did it anyway.

That quiet, anonymous generosity — the kind that asks nothing in return and leaves no monument — is the foundation this brand was built on. It's worth remembering every time you walk through our door.

A Friendship Forged in Retail

So how did a Cleveland luggage shop from the 1930s become the store you know today in Albuquerque?

By 1943, Max Lieber had reached a crossroads. After a falling out with a business partner, he decided to sell — but he wasn't going to hand Lieber's Luggage to just anyone. He sold the entire operation to his closest friend: Sam Fine, a fellow entrepreneur he trusted completely.

Sam ran the Cleveland store with the same care and commitment Max had built it on. For nearly five decades, he kept the doors open through the post-war boom, the jet age, and the rise of modern travel. He knew his customers by name. He knew where they were going.

During those years, Sam's grandson Frank Fine grew up working in the aisles — stocking shelves, helping customers, absorbing everything his grandfather knew about luggage and the retail craft. It gave Frank a passion for the business that never left him.

The Move to Albuquerque

In the late 1970s, Frank struck out on his own, relocating to Albuquerque to start a new chapter. When it came time to name his store, the choice was clear.

In 1978, Frank formally adopted the Lieber's Luggage name — drawn to its alliteration, its ring, and the deep respect it commanded in the industry. In doing so, he ensured that Max Lieber's name, and Sam Fine's legacy, would live on in the high desert of New Mexico.

Sam eventually closed the original Cleveland location around 1989. But the Lieber's name had already found a permanent home out west.

The Reunion

In September 2017 — just weeks after Richard Krulik's discovery in that basement — something remarkable happened.

Descendants of Max Lieber, Sam Fine, and Hans Ax gathered together for dinner in New York City. They brought documents. They shared stories. They pieced together an intertwined history that none of them had fully known.

Three families. Three legacies. One letter that connected them all across nearly 80 years.

Carrying It Forward

Today, Dustin and Felicia Boyd proudly operate Lieber's Luggage at 6515 Menaul Blvd NE in Albuquerque — the same store Frank Fine built, carrying the same name Max Lieber put on a letterhead in Cleveland in 1939.

The spirit of Max and Sam lives on in everything we do — especially in the Legacy Collection, our signature line of USA-assembled luggage built in The Luggage Lab with the same commitment to quality and durability that has defined this brand for a century.

The next time you walk through our door, you're not just shopping for your next trip. You're stepping into a century-old legacy of resilience, generosity, and an enduring American spirit.

Some names are just names. Ours is a story.