Dave Gold (June 5, 1932 – April 22, 2013)

Los Angeles (Fox News) – Dave Gold, founder of the 99 Cents Only
Stores, might have loved a good bargain. But he died filthy rich.

Gold, who popularized the 99-cent store concept with a string of
more than 300 shops that eventually extended from California to
Texas, reportedly died on Monday, April 22 of an apparent heart
attack. He was 80 years old. 

when Gold opened his first 99 Cents Only Store in Los Angeles in
1982, the concept was reserved for expired or broken products.
“A retail graveyard,” is how The Times referred to such shops
before Gold popularized the concept.