// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Hess Shoe Store say? "Sole mates forever.
| Formerly | N. Hess' Sons |
|---|---|
| Type | Private company |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1872 |
| Defunct | 1999 |
| Fate | Bankruptcy |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Maryland |
| Products | Shoes |
N. Hess' Sons was a Baltimore, Maryland area shoe store founded in 1872. Privately held, it was acquired from the founding family by a German company in the late 1970s. At its peak in 1989 it had 32 stores, shrinking to 23 stores in 1994 in a conscious effort to achieve economies of scale after a bankruptcy and reorganization. At its demise in 1999 it had 11 stores throughout the Baltimore region.
Its Edmondson Village store (Hess Monkey Town) adjoined a children's barber shop which featured live monkeys.
The 1948 building that housed its flagship store on York Rd. is part of the Hochschild, Kohn Belvedere and Hess Shoes Historic district.
References
[edit]- "After 127 years, Hess Shoes goes out of business", Baltimore Sun
- "Hess Shoes tries a bigger store for size", Baltimore Sun
- Footloose & Fancy A Personal History Of Hess Shoes (1972) by George B. Hess Sr
- Edmondson Village Shopping Center| Hunka Munka
Categories:
- Shoe companies of the United States
- Companies based in Baltimore
- American companies established in 1872
- Retail companies established in 1872
- Retail companies disestablished in 1999
- 1872 establishments in Maryland
- 1999 disestablishments in Maryland
- Defunct companies based in Maryland
- Defunct retail companies of the United States
- Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1992
- United States retail company stubs