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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
Episodes
31 episodes
S3 E2: Employee Rules & Regulations PART 2
Don't flirt, and ALWAYS speak well of the house... Continuing with a complete reading of pages 19-29 inside, "Rules and Regulations for the Government of the Employees of Hess Brothers; Allentown, PA." This episode will ge...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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21:46
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A Hess's Holiday Special
There was nothing like the Christmas season at Hess Brothers flagship store in Allentown! So cozy up by the fire to hear some of my favorite Christmas stories from seasons one and two! These Hess's holiday highlights will jog your own memory AN...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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32:25
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S3 E1: Employee Rules & Regulations PART 1
We're back with Season 3! After an unintended hiatus, I am so excited to be bringing you new episodes of The Patio Podcast. Starting NOW I want to speak with members of your organization, social club, church, apartment com...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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29:34
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S2 E11: Wayne Holben (PART 2) + Season Two Finale!
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 pos...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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1:04:22
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S2 E10: Fearless and Creative: Hess's PR & Promotions with Wayne Holben (PART 1)
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...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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1:04:41
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S2 E9: Inside the Ads with Hess's Fashion Illustrators & Layout Artists
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
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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1:02:36
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S2 E8: Hess's First Female Executive, with John Ziegler
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 t...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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1:14:36
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S2 E7: Hope, Heart & Hess's with Denise Martinez, founder and CEO of Caring Hearts
Caring DAM Hearts, a nonprofit organization with a mission of assisting and providing hope and kindness to homeless, veterans, and individuals in need throughout the Lehigh Valley region. Founded in 2016 by Denise "Neice Eie" Martinez...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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1:03:10
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S2 E6: Preserving Pip with Mark Keeler
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...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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52:19
S2 E5: Steve Greenberg talks Merchandise, Mistakes & Mr. Hess
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 Pa...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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1:33:10
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S2 E4: Bob Richter, Hess's and the Holidays
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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1:10:11
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...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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1:08:56
S2 E2: Glenn Koch, Hess's History in Color
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...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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1:12:46
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S2 E1: Understanding Nostalgia with Shonda Moralis, MSW, LCSW
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,...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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41:42
Season 2: Sneak Peek!
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 som...
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Season 2
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1:08
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Episode 12: Stories from Society of the Arts (SOTA)
These nine short stories cover decades of Hess’s history. Each holds unique insider information that will close out this first season of The Patio Podcast! The stories come from members of <...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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38:14
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Episode 11: Carson Kressley & Hess's Impact on His Style and Success
WATCH CARSON'S INTERVIEW at HessPatioPodcast.com!!www.hesspatiopodcast.comCarson Kressley is an American television personality, actor, designer, and Lehigh...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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44:44
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Episode 10: Donna & Neva, Babes in Toyland (Part 2)
Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs host City Series beginning with Allentown...
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25:58
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Episode 9: Donna & Neva, Babes in Toyland (PART 1)
Former Hess's co-workers and friends for more than 40-years, Donna Reilly and Neva Kear, met in 1979-80 on the 4th floor of the 9th & Hamilton Store. Donna remembers everyone being treated with dignity and the look in the chil...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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50:19
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Episode 8: Robbie Lawrence, The Prince of Polka & King of Collectors
Robbie Lawrence is one of the most active collectors of retail nostalgia in the Lehigh Valley. You may know him from the stage at Musikfest, or as a co-host of The Polka Show alongside Mike Mittman on Service Electric Network. He ...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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56:13
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BONUS!! "THAT was Mr. Hess..." with Frank Whelan
Flag down your Patio waitress, because we’re about to spill some Max Hess Jr. tea! (Since we have an amazing multi-generational audience, spill some tea is the same as spilling the beans. I, myself, have never used the phrase ...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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4:24
Episode 7: Don Serfass, May the 4th Be With You
May the 4th Be With You! Today we're bringing you a special STAR WARS episode featuring Donald Serfass. Don was hired as part of the Advertising & Public Relations department, and had a robust career at Hess's from 1976-1980. ...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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39:29
Episode 6: Frank Whelan, Inside Max's Candy Store
THIS IS THE GUY!!! Frank Whelan is a historian, author and educator. He is the author of WFMZ.com's weekly Histor...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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1:08:00
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Episode 5: Department Store Love Story, with Dean & Kristin Wehr
Dean and Kristin Wehr have a Hess’s memory straight out of a Hallmark Movie! Now married for 27-years, with three lovely daughters, Dean and Kristin recently moved back to the Lehigh Valley, and he submitted their story through the Commu...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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51:30
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