Claim OwnershipThe Patio Podcast
Subscribed: 4Played: 36
Subscribe
© 2025 The Patio Podcast
Description
The Patio Podcast is a wistful exploration of my hometown's enduring attachment to Hess’s Department Store. In candid conversations with residents, historians, collectors, former shoppers and employees, The Patio hopes to shed light on Allentown, Pennsylvania’s multigenerational interest in one single place.
Does nostalgia this visceral unite a city, or hold it back? How has Max Hess Jr.’s marketing genius endured? What happened to his famous chandeliers? And how good was all that whipped cream pie, really? The Patio Podcast is a new collection of Hess’s memories, meant for the here and now!
The Patio Podcast's original music: Theme created and produced by Dave Meyers with Vocals by Sam Cummings
32 Episodes
Reverse
Brand New Episodes are on their way thanks to the Lehigh Valley Arts & Cultural Alliance's (LVACA) Allentown Arts & Culture Project Grants program, which supports independent artists and small nonprofit organizations offering impactful, community-centered creative projects in the Lehigh Valley. Grants are are awarded to new or reimagined projects across all creative disciplines—music, visual art, dance, theater, writing, digital media, film, and more. The Patio Podcast is thrilled to ...
Don't flirt, and ALWAYS speak well of the house... Continuing with a complete reading of pages 19-29 inside, "Rules and Regulations for the Government of the Employees of Hess Brothers; Allentown, PA." This episode will get you inside the minds of Max and Charles Hess, trusted Members of the Firm, and department leaders. As the rule book states, MERIT WINS. The proof is on the pages-- Hess Brothers Department Store had high expectations for staff, and even higher regard for the customer...
There was nothing like the Christmas season at Hess Brothers flagship store in Allentown! So cozy up by the fire to hear some of my favorite Christmas stories from seasons one and two! These Hess's holiday highlights will jog your own memory AND warm your heart. Share them, as well as your own memories, while gathering with family this season. Happy Holidays to all! The Patio's original music: Theme created and produced by Dave Meyers, with Vocals by Sam Cummings. Follow us on Instagram @...
We're back with Season 3! After an unintended hiatus, I am so excited to be bringing you new episodes of The Patio Podcast. Starting NOW I want to speak with members of your organization, social club, church, apartment complex, alumni association, nursing home, and neighborhood-watch for new episodes of The Patio Podcast. Capturing as many stories as possible, small but mighty vignette’s of what it was like to shop and work at Hess Brother’s, is sure to keep its legacy alive. If ...
This is the Season Two Finale, but there is so much more ahead as we approach the One-Year Anniversary of The Patio Podcast! Thank you to all the cheerleaders, listeners, and guests who made this incredible project possible. You're responsible for preserving your local history and Hess's legacy-- I can't think of a greater gift we could possibly share! During his 25-years at Hess's, Wayne Holben worked his way up to Director of Public Relations. His longest stretch a...
During his 25-years at Hess's, Wayne Holben worked his way up to Director of Public Relations. His longest stretch as a Hess’s co-worker began in 1973, one week after he returned from three-years of serving overseas in the Army. Prior to that, Wayne had various roles as a stock-boy, then worked in merchandising. Before he was old enough to work, often at the request of Mr. Hess, Wayne ran odd-jobs with his father, Wayne Holben Sr. Wayne Sr. worked at Hess’s from 1951 until he passed awa...
VOTE The Patio Podcast for BEST LOCAL PODCAST in the 2024 Best of the Lehigh Valley Survey! Best Local Podcast is category #134, type in "The Patio Podcast" Vote online at www.bestofthelehighvalley.comDeadline is Monday, February 5, 2024... (Part 1 is audio + Part 2 is a video on YouTube) Lois, Tina, and Lori are three members of a small tribe they fondly referred to as The Hess’s Girls. This group of seven friends had career paths at Hess’s that overlapped and intersected f...
Mrs. Frances Ziegler’s 28-year career at Hess Brothers includes some of the most dynamic stories we have heard to date. If she had not spent years carefully assembling one scrapbook for her son, John Ziegler, it is very likely that her story would never have been told. In this episode, John, adopted son of Mrs. Ziegler, and I comb through that scrapbook to share stories and theories about the golden years of Hess's. Mrs. Frances Ziegler was best known as Hess Brothers Business ...
Caring DAM Hearts, a nonprofit organization with a mission of assisting and providing hope and kindness to homeless, veterans, and individuals in need throughout the Lehigh Valley region. Founded in 2016 by Denise "Neice Eie" Martinez after workplace stress nearly killed her, Neice Eie and a team of volunteers regularly visit homeless encampments and provide tents, tarps, propane, clothing, hygiene products and more to those in need. Inspired by her fashionable grandmothers and their many v...
Mark Keeler is the longest serving Puppeteer in the history of Allentown's beloved Pip the Mouse program; and owner of The Yippee Show Puppet Company. Pip the Mouse has been delighting audiences during the holiday season year after year. Starting inside the window displays of Hess’s Department Store, more recently, Pip resided at the Liberty Bell Museum in Allentown before the assets of that museum were absorbed by the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum, the headquarters Museum of the Lehigh...
Steve Greenberg is the son of Hess’s last, local Chairman & CEO, Irwin Greenberg. The stories Steve shares speak for themselves, but the level of detail he recalls is one of the most remarkable things we've heard on The Patio Podcast. There is no doubt that Irwin and Steve Greenberg experienced so much of this business together, and when they were not together, Irwin nurtured their relationship by sharing many ideas and decisions of running a business like Hess’s. Steve does not h...
Former Hess’s employee, Bob Richter, is now America’s Vintage Lifestyle Expert! Bob is the author of A Very Vintage Christmas and Vintage Living. Known for his starring role on the PBS series Market Warriors, Bob also hosted Flea Market Minute and Minute Makeover. Bob’s vintage holiday expertise is often featured on TV and in print. WATCH THE VIDEO TOO: www.youtube.com/@HessPatioPodcast Our complete interview with Bob Richter is on YouTube! See Bob's holiday decorations and ...
*Special Crossover Episode with The Rad Years Podcasthost, Ryan Kelly!* In the early 1990’s when some Hess’s chandeliers were sold off, and the Toy Department was removed from the flagship store, Lehigh Valley Native, Ryan Kelly, was just a kid who wanted to get THROUGH Hess’s in the mall as fast as possible. Ryan, like many of his peers, was a Mall Rat, who was more interested in the comic book section of Walden Books than Hess’s. Still, Ryan has done more to highlight the Lehigh Valley’s ...
Glenn Koch loves local and urban history, and is a certified Hess’s aficionado! Glenn is also a collector of antique postcards, photographs, and ephemera, who has spent most of the 21st century thus far collecting Hess’s ephemera on eBay, which he uses to build and share his own online museum on Pinterest. Ephemera are items of collectible memorabilia, typically written or printed ones, that were originally expected to exist or be enjoyed for only a short time. Such as postcards, news b...
Shonda Moralis, MSW, LCSW is a psychotherapist, coach, and award-winning author, and Founder of Breathe Mama Breathe & Co. In this episode, she talks me through the leading research on nostalgia, her own memories as a Hess’s employee, and how following curiosity lead to new purpose in my life— Hess’s! Together, we explore the purpose nostalgia plays in the human psyche, its benefits, and how to be sure we enjoy The Patio Podcast and all these new Hess's memories, without getting s...
We're back with SEASON TWO of The Patio Podcast. After thousands of downloads in Season One, we have even MORE stories and history to share about the Lehigh Valley's beloved Hess's Department Store! This is a sneak peek of some of the guests who are going to help us remember Hess's from the end of September 2023 through the very special Christmas season! **NEW THIS SEASON! Record your own 5-minute memory, on your own time, and in your own words directly on our Community page! Use your...
These nine short stories cover decades of Hess’s history. Each holds unique insider information that will close out this first season of The Patio Podcast! The stories come from members of Society of the Arts (SOTA), which include individuals who worked with Max Hess Jr.; regularly shopped in The French Room; were hand-picked for special projects by Mrs. Berman; attended many of the "Old Allentown" society events and pool parties; fought for merchandise during Hess’s Clearance Sales; and on...
WATCH CARSON'S INTERVIEW at HessPatioPodcast.com!! www.hesspatiopodcast.com Carson Kressley is an American television personality, actor, designer, and Lehigh Valley native. Known for his Emmy Award winning part in Bravo’s ground-breaking series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Carson has held a special place in pop-culture ever since. From Dancing with the Stars to RuPaul's Drag Race, Carson has likely appeared on every major television network and streaming service from Good Morning A...
Former Hess's co-workers and friends for more than 40-years, Donna Reilly and Neva Kear, met in 1979-80 on the 4th floor of the 9th & Hamilton Store. Donna remembers everyone being treated with dignity and the look in the children's eyes when she transformed into THE Strawberry Shortcake. Neva remembers EVERYTHING, from the first and last name's of the Executives to her many roles as a "floater"-- a role that took her straight to the top of the store's pedestal as a glamorous Hess's...
Robbie Lawrence is one of the most active collectors of retail nostalgia in the Lehigh Valley. You may know him from the stage at Musikfest, or as a co-host of The Polka Show alongside Mike Mittman on Service Electric Network. He has been dubbed the "Prince of Polka" as frontman of Robbie Lawrence and the Steelworkers Polka Band. Robbie says he has a lot of life to live and spends his time pursuing his passions, which include collecting antique fans, clocks, Hess’s memorabilia, and perf...
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States