Leh's (department store)
Encyclopedia
H. Leh & Co. was a department store
located at 626 W. Hamilton St. It was located along the Hamilton Mall in Allentown, Pennsylvania
. Like many other downtown department stores of the time, it closed due to suburban shopping malls' increasing popularity.
Leh's peak came in the late 1980s, when it brought in $25 million in its retail sales over the course of the year. At that point, it ranked among the nation's top 100 department stores.
Also, after Leh's closing, remaining merchandise was sold at:
to The Bon-Ton
in 1994. In 1994, Leh's flagship store closed for good. Two years later, Bon-Ton closed the flagship at 9th and Hamilton Streets, putting an end to the department stores that occupied downtown. The five-story Leh's building was renovated and is now used by Lehigh County. On June 29, 1996, all of the remaining locations closed.
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
located at 626 W. Hamilton St. It was located along the Hamilton Mall in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
. Like many other downtown department stores of the time, it closed due to suburban shopping malls' increasing popularity.
History
H. Leh & Co. was founded on April 25, 1850 by Henry Leh. Horatio Koch, James Koch's great grandfather, was employed at the company in the 1870s and became his partner in the 1880s. Shortly thereafter, Horatio Koch married Henry Leh's daughter Sallie to join the two families. In 1970, Leh's opened the parking deck to the rear of the store.Leh's peak came in the late 1980s, when it brought in $25 million in its retail sales over the course of the year. At that point, it ranked among the nation's top 100 department stores.
Expansion
Leh's also had locations, all of which closed, at:- Bethlehem Square, BethlehemBethlehem, PennsylvaniaBethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
, PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
(1988-1996) - QuakertownQuakertown, PennsylvaniaQuakertown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 8,979. The borough is south of Bethlehem and north of Philadelphia, making Quakertown a border town of both the Delaware Valley and Lehigh Valley metropolitan areas...
, PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
(1972-1996) - Whitehall MallWhitehall MallThe Whitehall Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in the United States.The mall is located northeast of Allentown, on MacArthur Road at its intersection with Grape Street. It is located directly across Grape Street from the Lehigh Valley Mall...
, WhitehallWhitehall Township, PennsylvaniaWhitehall Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Whitehall Township was 24,896 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
(1978-1996) (now Gold's GymGold's GymGold's Gym International, Inc. is an international chain of co-ed fitness centers originally started in California by Joe Gold. Each gym features a wide array of exercise equipment, group exercise classes and personal trainers to assist clients...
and buy buy BABY)
Also, after Leh's closing, remaining merchandise was sold at:
- Leh's Close-Outs & More, S 4th Street, Allentown
Decline
After its peak, several decades of decline in Downtown Allentown led to the sale of Hess'sHess's
Hess's was a department store chain based in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in the United States.- History :The department store known as Hess Brothers was founded on February 19, 1897, by Charles and Max Hess. Max Hess came to Allentown in 1896 on a business trip and envisioned a...
to The Bon-Ton
The Bon-Ton
The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. is a regional department store company based in York, Pennsylvania, chiefly operating 275 stores, including 11 furniture galleries, in 23 states throughout the northern United States. Stores carrying its namesake nameplate serve the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of...
in 1994. In 1994, Leh's flagship store closed for good. Two years later, Bon-Ton closed the flagship at 9th and Hamilton Streets, putting an end to the department stores that occupied downtown. The five-story Leh's building was renovated and is now used by Lehigh County. On June 29, 1996, all of the remaining locations closed.