| Former type | department stores |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Fate | bankruptcy |
| Founded | 1850 |
| Defunct | 1996 |
| Headquarters | Allentown, PA |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, cosmetics, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, and appliances |
H. Leh & Co. (or simply Leh's) 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.
Contents |
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.
Leh's also had locations, all of which closed, at:
Also, after Leh's closing, remaining merchandise was sold at:
After its peak, several decades of decline in Downtown Allentown led to the sale of Hess's 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.[1]