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
S2 E3: Ryan Kelly & The Rad Years of Retail
*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 bygone retailers than most, as co-host of The Rad Years Podcast.
Ryan and co-host, Squeezer, have released more than 400 episodes of The Rad Years Podcast. They knows a TON about the brands and pop-culture that defined the end of the 20th Century— an era that is wildly impacting the fashion and entertainment of 2023! Each week, Ryan and Squeezer talk about the things they loved growing up in the 1980‘s and 90‘s. From Retro Ice Cream, to summer music hits, to Wrestle Mania, to KB Toy Store.
The Rad Years is a cool and casual podcast (somewhat inspired by the nationally syndicated Howard Stern show), and they were nice enough to have ME in the other half of this CROSSOVER EPISODE!
Check that out by going to radyears.com, find them on your all favorite listening apps!
Kate on The Rad Years LINKS:
- APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-patio-podcast-crossover/id1173264951?i=1000629402478
- SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/episode/26yHiHo5tQF0cPEvrzEHNc?si=49bbe0c5f9434350
- Instagram: Follow The Rad Years @ https://www.instagram.com/the_rad_years/
The Patio's original music: Theme created and produced by Dave Meyers, with Vocals by Sam Cummings.
Follow us on Instagram @HessPatioPodcast
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Visit our website www.hesspatiopodcast.com