The family's business was started by Weinrib's grandfather, Samuel, an Austrian immigrant, who began selling carpets and linoleum from a pushcart in 1897. Weinrib took over ABC Carpet from his father and, in 1961, moved the store from under the Third Avenue El at 28th Street to the Flatiron district. A graduate of Brooklyn Law School, Weinrib had a talent for buying and selling merchandise.

The newest toys hitting the market later this year, on display here this week at the Toy Industry Association's annual Toy Fair, are all about letting kids mimic the adults in their life with interactive experiences. Baking kits with miniature kitchen tools equip kids to make treats worthy of posting on Pinterest - like cupcakes topped with a black and white tuxedo frosting swirl or stained-glass sugar cookies. Battery-powered luxury toy cars are begging to be used in a recreation of The Italian Job's riveting Mini Cooper car chase scene.

Banks in the U.S. once gave away toasters and irons to lure depositors. Banks in China are upping the ante. With customers pulling out money and putting it into higher-yielding investments, they are offering Mercedes, iPhones, and daily deliveries of vegetables to sidestep interest rate caps and get people to stash some yuan in savings accounts.

When it comes to the Super Bowl, the second-biggest company in play behind the NFL might arguably be PepsiCo. NYSportsJournalism spoke with Todd Kaplan, PepsiCo's senior director of marketing, about the company's Super Bowl 50 experience and how it would use the knowledge in partnership with MLB during the 2016 season, Super Bowl LI next February and upcoming music platforms.

The deal was announced by RunKeeper CEO Jason Jacobs in a blog post. He said the marriage with Japan-based Asics will mean little change for users of the app. "When we look ahead, it seems clear that the fitness brands of the future will not just make physical products, but will be embedded in the consumer journey in ways that will help keep people motivated and maximize their enjoyment of sport," he wrote.

Leo Van Munching Jr., whose stewardship of the importing company started by his father made the Dutch-brewed beer Heineken and its low-calorie sibling, Amstel Light, familiar brand names in the United States, died on Sunday at his home in Darien, Conn. He was 89. Heineken, which was first brewed in the 19th century, was the first European beer to be shipped to this country after the end of Prohibition.

Ikea has been accused of dodging up to 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in taxes between 2009 and 2014, according to a report by the Green party in the European Parliament. The political group is accusing the retailer of "large scale tax avoidance." The European Commission, the top E.U. regulator, said it would study the report.

When computers speak, how human should they sound? The challenge of creating a computer "personality" is now one that a growing number of software designers are grappling with. A new design science is emerging in the pursuit of building what are called "conversational agents," software programs that understand natural language and speech and can respond to human voice commands.

Thanks to State Farm, The Hoopers arrived at the NBA All-Star Game in Toronto, and they brought Baby Dame Dolla with them. The eclectic family stars in a new commercial, "Droppin' Dimes," which broke during All-Star Game weekend. This is the fourth spot in the campaign for The Hoopers, which also includes a special spot featuring Reggie Miller ("Downtown"), all of which aired throughout the State Farm All-Star Game Saturday Night and then during the game Sunday.

General Motors' new Factory Pre-Owned Collection portal, which sells used vehicles directly to consumers, is off to a rocky start. GM dealers nationwide gave it a tepid welcome, with only one in four signing up, and California's dealer association has challenged the portal's legality. The online portal went live Tuesday, Feb. 9. GM says almost 1,100 dealerships have agreed to participate.