Leh's

Leh's

H. Leh & Company building in Allentown, Pennsylvania, c. 1950s
Company type	Department stores
Industry	Retail
Founded	1850
Defunct	1996
Fate	Bankruptcy
Headquarters	626 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Products	Clothing, footwear, cosmetics, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, and appliances

H. Leh & Co., commonly known as Leh's, was a department store situated at 626 West Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The store was part of an external mall complex referred to as the Hamilton Mall in the Center City area of Allentown. Like numerous other downtown department stores during that era, it eventually ceased operations as suburban shopping malls increasingly captured consumer attention at the expense of urban retail locations.

19th century

The original structure at 626 Hamilton Street in Allentown along with adjoining properties at 628 and 630 Hamilton Street, c. 1870

An 1890 promotional card from H M Leh & Company

Henry Leh, the founder of Leh's, was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1830. He established the store on April 25, 1850, at 626 Hamilton Street in Allentown. Initially, he offered ready-made clothing to the then population of approximately 4,000 residents—a rarity in that region at the time. In addition to selling boots and shoes, he also manufactured them himself. The building consisted of four stories; while the retail shop occupied the first floor, the upper three floors were dedicated to Leh’s manufacturing operations.

The store’s early days were challenging. Originally named Neleigh & Leh, Henry had to rely on canal boats and stagecoaches to procure merchandise. Between 1850 and 1860, he partnered with several associates. Despite facing difficulties during a national economic downturn in the late 1850s, the business endured.

The American Civil War played a significant role in the growth of Leh’s enterprise. With substantial demand for boots from the Union Army, and given that Simon Cameron, then the Secretary of War, hailed from Pennsylvania, numerous federal contracts were awarded within the state. Securing a contract to produce boots allowed Leh’s business to achieve financial stability.

During the war period, Leh employed roughly 175 workers in manufacturing and operated sixty to sixty-five machines continuously. The factory produced around 500 pairs of boots and shoes daily. Concurrently, Henry expanded his footprint by acquiring adjacent locations at 628 and 630 Hamilton Street.

Following Allentown’s post-war prosperity, Henry Leh’s business flourished as well. By 1874, when a young Horatio Koch joined as a shipping clerk, the store was firmly established. Koch rapidly rose through the ranks and later married Sallie Leh, Henry’s daughter. This union not only connected the families but also led Koch to become a partner in Leh’s Department Store.

At the 1876 Centennial Exposition held in Philadelphia, Leh showcased men’s and women’s footwear produced by his factory. The exposition judges praised the exhibit for its quality craftsmanship and robust construction across various shoe types including women’s, misses’, children’s shoes as well as heavy-duty mining boots and buckle shoes—highlighting their suitability for intended uses and reasonable pricing.

By the 1880s, Leh's had diversified beyond footwear to include dry goods, fabrics, ready-to-wear apparel, and other merchandise—transitioning into a full-fledged department store.

In April 1880, the company expanded by acquiring the Reliable Lion Clothing Store located at the southeast corner of 7th and Hamilton Streets. This location was rebranded as H. M. Leh Lion Clothing Store specializing in ready-to-wear garments.

The Lion Hall Clothing store was sold in mid-1895 and subsequently became Dresher & Stephens Lion Clothing Store. Three years later in 1898, it was renamed Shankweiler and Lehr and continued operating as a men’s clothing retailer into the 1980s.

20th century

A renovated Leh's store in Allentown, c. 1910

William Koch, nephew of Horatio, established his own retail outlet at the southwest corner of Center Square in what is now Center City Allentown. Initially named the Stillwagon Store, it was rebranded as Koch & Person in 1905. This establishment operated until 1920, when it was shuttered and demolished to make room for the new Merchants National Bank building. Following the closure of the Center Square location, Pearson retired, and the business transitioned into the Will Koch Clothing store located on the 900 block of Hamilton Street, remaining open until the 1930s before succumbing to the effects of the Great Depression. The Koch Brothers store situated in the Hotel Allen continued operations until 1954, occupying the entire building after the hotel ceased functioning in 1947.

After Henry Leh passed away in 1910, his sons along with the Koch family endeavored to update and modernize the store. By 1911, the refurbished H. Leh & Co. reopened its doors as a bright, contemporary establishment fitting for the new century. Enhancements included a fourth floor addition and a refreshed facade facing Hamilton Street. Over the subsequent five decades, this downtown location underwent several further expansions.

The company expanded by acquiring three adjacent properties at 25, 27, and 29 South 7th Street, integrating them into the main store and creating an "L"-shaped layout.

In 1931, H. Leh & Co. purchased the former Tallman's Cafe at 632 Hamilton Street, further enlarging their footprint and installing a modern facade during this expansion. By its centennial celebration in 1950, H. Leh & Co. had become a well-established local landmark comparable to its neighbor, Zion's Reformed UCC Church, famously known for sheltering the Liberty Bell for nine months during the British occupation of Philadelphia in 1777–1778 amid the American Revolutionary War.

During the Christmas season, Leh's was bustling with customers, and Santa Claus’ arrival was a highly anticipated event. Although not as extravagant as Hess's flagship at 9th and Hamilton Streets, Leh's maintained a strong presence.

In the late 1950s, a visit by pop sensation Frankie Avalon drew large crowds of teenagers to the store.

By the late 1960s, suburban shopping malls began to impact downtown retail negatively. To retain its clientele, Leh's constructed a sizable parking garage in 1970. The store reached its zenith in the late 1980s with annual retail sales hitting $25 million, placing it among the top 100 department stores nationally.

Leh's operated additional branches which eventually closed:

• Bethlehem Square in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (1988–1996)
• Quakertown (1972–1996)
• Whitehall Mall in Whitehall Township, occupying the former Zollinger and Harned location after its bankruptcy (1978–1996), now housing a Gold's Gym and a buybuy BABY outlet.

Following Leh's closure, remaining stock was sold at:

• Leh's Close-Outs & More on South 4th Street in Allentown

As Center City Allentown’s economic conditions worsened after its peak years, Hess's was sold to The Bon-Ton in 1994. That same year marked the final closure of Leh's flagship store. Two years later, Bon-Ton also shuttered its primary location at 9th and Hamilton Streets, signaling an end to downtown Allentown’s department store era. The five-story Leh’s building was subsequently renovated and repurposed for use by Lehigh County.

On June 29, 1996, all remaining Leh’s locations ceased operations.

Historical timeline

Leh's Department Store, Chronology 1850-1996

• April 25, 1850: Henry Leh inaugurates a retail outlet on Hamilton Street in Center City Allentown. In the same year, he begins manufacturing footwear including shoes and boots.
• 1861-1865: Leh secures a contract to produce boots for the Union Army during the American Civil War.
• 1884: Horatio B. Koch joins as a business partner and weds Sallie Leh, Henry Leh’s daughter.
• 1898: Leh provides boots to the U.S. Army amid the Spanish–American War.
• 1910: The death of Henry Leh occurs.
• 1911: The H. Leh & Company store reopens following expansion; however, its shoe and boot manufacturing facility ceases operations.
• 1920: Passing of Horatio B. Koch.
• 1928: The store experiences significant enlargement.
• 1936: Despite the challenges of the Great Depression, further expansion of the store takes place.
• 1950: Celebrating its centennial, John Leh II and H. Thomas Koch Jr., great-grandsons of Henry Leh, become part of the company leadership.
• 1970: Introduction of a parking garage by Leh's.
• 1972: Launch of Leh's initial branch store in Quakertown, Pennsylvania.
• 1978: Opening of a store in Whitehall Mall located in Whitehall Township, occupying the premises formerly held by the bankrupt Zollinger-Harned store, which was originally established in 1966 at the adjacent Zollinger-Harned Company Building on Hamilton Street.
• 1988: A third branch is inaugurated in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
• 1992: John Leh II and William Leh acquire full ownership by purchasing the Koch family’s stake in the business.
• 1994: Closure of Leh's main store in Allentown.
• March 11, 1996: William Leh publicly announces the shutdown of all remaining department stores.

See also

• Hess Brothers
• List of historic places in Allentown, Pennsylvania
• Zollinger and Harned