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 as a Hess’s co-worker began in 1973, one week after he returned from three-years of serving overseas in ..read more

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 away in March of 1968. He was the sales promotions manager, and during his 11th year with Hess Brothers he ..read more

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.com Deadline 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 for anywhere from 18-months to many years. Ever since receiving pink-slips in 1995 when all employ ..read more

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 Manager and Assistant to the President-- serving as one of Max Hess Jr.‘s most trusted executives up unt ..read more

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 County Historical Society.  After my conversation with Mark, stay tuned for a very special announ ..read more

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 hesitate trying to recall a single detail, he seems to remember them all! TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE CA ..read more

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 Hess’s memorabilia that we discuss. PLUS BONUS FOOTAGE of Bob live-reacting to several historical phot ..read more

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 bulletins, letters, stamps, ticket subs, vintage valentines and menus. Just search @glennkoch on Pinter ..read more

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 stuck in the past! **You will hear references of nostalgia facts and resources from true PhD physiologis ..read more

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 built-in phone, tablet or computer microphone to record, listen back, then hit SUBMIT to be featured on ..read more