Lori Hirshleifer is part of a powerful family business in which women play an important role.
Hirshleifer is owner and buyer at the Long Island luxury retailer Hirshleifers, which has been around for more than 110 years. She recalled her late mother Lillian Hirshleifer, who died in 2025 at the age of 97, as a guiding hand in her life.
“My mother was my mentor, which was its own experience, full of beauty and complexity in equal parts,” Hirshleifer told FN. “She was such a force and loved her work so fully. I believe deeply in mentoring, but what I’ve come to value just as much is listening to younger generations. It really goes both ways. Half the time, they’re the ones mentoring me.”
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Hirsheifer and her sisters Caryn Hirshleifer and Shelley Shapiro are together running the family business, which is based in Manhasset.
“I’m deeply grateful and aware of the privilege I carry,” Hirshleifer said. “My family built something incredible, and my sisters and I were given the opportunity to continue growing it. I never take that for granted. I also know that hard work alone doesn’t level the playing field for everyone, and it matters to me that we use our position to lift others up. I love building a team of women, and I’d hope that anyone who works here feels that support and empowerment isn’t just a talking point. It’s how we show up for each other every day.”
The advice she has for younger women getting into the industry? “It sounds like a cliché, but be true to yourself and say yes to everything. Stand your ground — that matters — but don’t be too proud to do the unglamorous work. That’s where you learn the most.”
At the end of the day, what means the most to Hirshleifer is family.
She told FN, “Family has always come first, full stop. I love this business and everything we’ve built, but my family is my real measure of success. That said, when I look at where we are now, having tripled the business since my parents stepped back, I’m proud of the world we’ve created together. We all live and breathe it, and that shared passion across a whole family feels like something you really can’t manufacture.”
A version of this article appeared in the June 1 print issue of FN, as part of the “Women Who Rock” special section. On Wednesday, FN and Two Ten Footwear Foundation are honoring these women at the annual live event in New York City.