About Us

Call H.S. Investments and you won’t hear a company name. You’ll hear “696-2600” (Six Nine Six Twenty-Six Hundred). It’s been that way for eight decades. When Hymie Schwartz started buying small retail properties across the Dallas metroplex in the 1930s, he placed them in different family partnerships. To avoid confusing his tenants, he just answered with the number. We still do. We still get questions about it.

That’s the kind of company this is. Four generations deep and still doing things the way they’ve always been done. Not because we’re stuck. Because it works.

It all started with a breakdown. Back around 1900, Hymie’s father, Benjamin “B” Schwartz, was driving through Dallas on his way to the West Coast when his car gave out. He didn’t have the money to fix it. So he stayed. Four generations later, his family is still here in the “Big D.”

Hymie got his start in manufacturing in Deep Ellum. In the 1930s, he sold that business and began acquiring small retail properties across the metroplex. That was the beginning of H.S. Investments. He leased and managed every property himself, creating a personal family atmosphere with his tenants. Virtually all of those original properties are still in the family today.

As the business grew and Hymie’s only child “Tootsie” started raising a family, her husband Peter Fonberg began going with Hymie weekly to meet tenants and learn the business, all while running his own real estate ventures. When Hymie passed away in 1969, Peter took over the reins. In 1979, Peter’s son Mitchell joined the team. Together they carried the business forward.

The portfolio has grown exponentially since Hymie’s first purchases. The approach has not. H.S. Investments is still family owned, still hands-on, still personal. Within the real estate community, we’re known as a “Generational Holder.” We buy and we keep.

Dallas has given this family everything. We expect the future to be very bright with its vibrant energy, great business opportunities, and excellent quality of life. We are always looking to grow, with a focus on neighborhood retail centers. If you want to talk, you know the number.