[2] His family decided to change their surname from "Merinsky" to "Merns" when his father and elder brother George opened a store on Vesey Street in Lower Manhattan.

[1] In 1959, Syms opened a men's clothing store on nearby Cortlandt Street in New York City's Financial District.

[1] On November 2, 2011, Syms Corp. and its subsidiary Filene's Basement, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after more than a half a century in the clothing business.

It has given away over $30,000,000 and has contributed toward the continued growth of many institutions of higher learning including the Syms School of Business at Yeshiva University, and many organizations which provide funding for education.

Marcy Syms was instrumental in developing many of the grant-relationships made possible by her late father's generosity, and is a founding trustee of the foundation, elected to the role of president in 1997.