If you’ve lived in Colorado, Arizona, or Texas at any point in the last few decades, you know the face. You know the voice. And you definitely remember the tigers. Jake Jabs, the man who built American Furniture Warehouse (AFW) from a single struggling storefront into a multi-state empire, has been a fixture on our TV screens for so long that he feels almost like a distant uncle. But lately, people are asking the same question: How old is Jake Jabs, and is he still actually running the show?
Honestly, the answer is a testament to the "hard work" mantra he’s been preaching since the 70s. As of early 2026, Jake Jabs is 95 years old. He celebrated his 95th birthday on November 23, 2025.
Most people his age are well into their second or third decade of retirement. Not Jake. He’s still the CEO. He’s still doing the buying. He’s still showing up to the office and, occasionally, still picking up his guitar to play a few chords for customers. It’s a level of energy that honestly puts most 40-year-olds to shame.
The Montana Roots That Built a Billion-Dollar Brand
To understand how a 95-year-old keeps this pace, you have to look at where he started. Jake wasn't born into money. Far from it. He was the fourth of nine children, born in 1930 to Russian and Polish immigrant parents in rural Montana. We're talking "working on a ranch during the Great Depression" levels of humble beginnings.
He didn't start in furniture, either. Before the sofas and recliners, he was a musician. He worked his way through Montana State University by teaching guitar and playing in a family band. He even served as an Air Force officer during the Korean War, spending time in French Morocco. When he finally got into the business world, it was with a music store in Bozeman.
The pivot to furniture only happened because a traveling salesman convinced him to buy a truckload of tables and chairs to sell in the empty upstairs area of his music shop. He realized pretty quickly that while not everyone needs a guitar, everyone definitely needs a place to sit.
Why People Keep Asking: How Old Is Jake Jabs?
There is a weird phenomenon online—you might have seen it on Reddit or Facebook—where people are convinced Jake Jabs passed away years ago. It's a classic "Mandela Effect" situation. Because he’s been a public figure for so long, and because those iconic commercials with the exotic animals started feeling like "vintage" TV, people just assume he must have retired or passed on.
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But the reality is much more interesting. In November 2025, the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship at CU Denver held a massive "95th Birthday Bash" for him. The lobby was packed with students and business leaders, and Jake was right there in the middle of it, soaking it all in.
He’s outlived the tigers, that’s for sure. For years, the big cats were his trademark. He’d sit on a sofa with a lion cub or a baby tiger, pitching "quality furniture at warehouse prices." He eventually phased out the exotic animals—turns out, keeping a tiger in a furniture showroom isn't exactly a long-term logistics win—but the "American Tiger" nickname stuck.
Breaking Down the Longevity: How Does He Do It?
If you ask Jake, he’ll tell you that retirement is what kills people. He’s been quoted saying that his father retired at 60 and his health started to decline because his mind wasn't active. Jake took that lesson to heart.
- Daily Involvement: He still oversees the team of furniture buyers.
- Cash is King: One of his most famous business rules is paying in cash for everything. No debt. That includes the massive warehouses AFW builds. This "old school" approach kept the company stable during recessions that wiped out his competitors.
- Philanthropy: He’s given away millions—notably $12 million to CU Denver and $25 million to Montana State University.
At 95, he isn't just a figurehead. He’s still the president and CEO. While Jackie Brookshire handles much of the day-to-day as president, Jake remains the "soul" of the operation. He still believes in the "basic American philosophy" of long hours and self-confidence.
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What Most People Get Wrong About His Success
People see the big stores and the private jets and assume it was an easy climb. But AFW didn't even exist until 1975. Jake was 45 years old when he bought the struggling American Furniture Company in Denver for about $80,000. Most people are looking to wind down their careers at 45; Jake was just getting his second wind.
He took a brand that was failing and applied a simple rule: high volume, low margin. He didn't want to sell one expensive sofa; he wanted to sell ten thousand affordable ones. He turned a one-location shop into an 18-store powerhouse that now does hundreds of millions in annual sales.
Actionable Insights from a 95-Year-Old CEO
So, what can we actually learn from a man who is nearly a century old and still running a retail empire? It’s not just about "working hard." It’s about a specific kind of resilience.
- Don't Retire Your Mind: If you have a passion or a business you love, don't feel pressured to quit just because of a number on a calendar. Staying engaged is a legitimate health strategy.
- Stick to Fundamentals: In an era of complex financing and crypto-speculation, Jake’s "pay in cash and give value" model seems almost radical. But it works.
- Adapt, But Keep Your Core: He moved from music to furniture, from TV ads to digital presence, and from tigers to philanthropic galas. He changed the "how," but the "why"—providing value—never shifted.
If you’re ever in an AFW in Englewood or Thornton and you see a guy with white hair and a signature grin walking the floor, don't be surprised. It’s probably just Jake, making sure the "red sofas" are exactly what the customers want. At 95, he’s not just a part of Colorado history; he’s still actively writing it.
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Next Steps for Readers
- Visit the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship: If you're a budding business owner, look into the programs at CU Denver or Montana State. Jake's curriculum is built on the real-world lessons he learned over nine decades.
- Audit Your Debt: Take a page from the AFW playbook. Look at your business or personal finances and see where moving toward a "cash-basis" model could reduce your risk during market volatility.
- Read "An American Tiger": To get the full story of his journey from the Montana ranch to the furniture showroom, pick up his autobiography. It offers a much deeper dive into the specific business tactics he used to outlast his rivals.