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The Patio Podcast
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
The Patio Podcast
Episode 2: Susan Bickta, The Voice of Hess's
When Susan Weller Bickta interviewed at Hess's Department Store in 1968, they asked her to start working the next day. Luckily, she was able to negotiate starting a few days later, because she first had to sew herself a black dress before she would be prepared to hit the floor at the most popular place in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Susan covers many aspects of what it was like to work under the new CEO, Phil Berman, in the promotions department. Her highlights include escorting Tenzing Norgay for three-days in Allentown. He was the well-known sherpa who helped Edmund Hillary became the first people known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest.
Susan shares her vast collection of Hess's memorabilia with listeners, and gives a glimpse into why the Hess's coworkers were dedicated enough to meet all the way up until 2019. Susan is full of LOVE for Hess's and it was an honor to speak to her.
See Susan on WFMZ talking about the last Hess's coworker reunion in 2019.
The Patio's original music: Theme created and produced by Dave Meyers, with Vocals by Sam Cummings.
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Visit our website www.hesspatiopodcast.com