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Mary Sachs Early Life
Mary Sachs was a Russian-born immigrant who was only four years old when she came to America in 1892 with her mother, Fanny Rhoads Sachs, and two siblings, Sarah and Emma. The family found husband and father Wolf Sachs in Renovo, a town in the lumber and coal region of northern Pennsylvania. Wolf Sachs was a peddler and shop owner who had immigrated four years before the rest of his family. Around 1900, the Sachs family moved to Baltimore where Lena, Esther, Morris, Yetta, and Hannah were born.
After spending a short time in Baltimore, Mary Sachs moved to Steelton where she worked first in a candy shop and then in an installment store where she was promoted and eventually made manager. After several moves, the rest of the Sachs family joined her in the Harrisburg area around 1916.
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Mary Sachs Princess of Philanthropy
Mary’s success and generosity earned her the reputation of being a great philanthropist. She gave money to many charitable organizations, many of which encouraged those who shared her Jewish faith. She was vice president of the Jewish Community Center in Harrisburg. Sachs served as the co-founder of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York and generously donated to Boy Scouts of America, the Girl Scouts of America and many other organizations. Throughout her lifetime Mary Sachs sought new ways to contribute to the community that was the cornerstone of her success. After meeting her at several charity events, Eleanor Roosevelt found in Mary Sachs “a philosophy that filled me with admiration.” Since her death, the Mary Sachs Trust has continued Miss Sachs’ honorable tradition of giving. The latest initiative is a significant college scholarship award for up to four young women in the tri-county area who will be majoring in fashion design, retailing, or general business.
“Few can ever match her generosity.”
Mary Sachs Harrisburg Merchant Princess
Merchant Princess
1908
Mary Sachs First Retail Job
Mary Sachs first worked at Kaufman’s Department Store on the southwest corner of S. 2nd and Market Streets on Market Square.
1910
Mary Goes to William B. Schleisner Store
Mary worked at the William B. Schleisner Store from 1910 to1918. The store was located on the NW corner of N. 3rd and Strawberry Streets.
1918
Mary Leaves William B. Schleisner Store
In 1918 Mary announced her departure from William B. Schleisner Store in order to go into business for herself by opening a women’s clothing store.
Mary Opens First Store
Harry and Leon Lowengard, publishers of the Courier Press, took a chance with Mary Sachs and rented her the first floor of the Lowengard Building at 210 N. 3rd Street for her first store in 1918. With sales of over $200,000 in its first year, the shop quickly became one of Harrisburg’s premier retail locations.
1920
Mary Expands Store
In 1920, Mary Sachs acquired the former Judge Weiss Mansion next door at 208 N. 3rd Street to expand her store.
1921
1923
1925
Mary Brings European and NYC Fashion to Harrisburg
Beginning in 1925, she traveled at least once a year to Europe with one of her sisters, Hannah or Yetta, to observe the latest trends in fashion. She also made weekly trips to New York to visit clothing manufacturers. Her decision not to deal with Harrisburg salesmen assured her customers that their dress would always be unique.
1931
Fire Strikes
On February 11, 1931, a fire destroyed the Mary Sachs store that she acquired in 1920. Mary decided to rebuild in the same location and posted a letter to her customers promoting her new store. She was well known for informative and enticing newspaper advertisements as well as other marketing innovations.
1932
New Store Opens
Mary Sachs enlisted the Harrisburg architectural firm of Lawrie and Green to design her new store which was executed in the Renaissance Revival- style, one and a half stories in height at the time, and opened in 1932 with 21 departments.
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3 Replies to “Mary Sachs Personal Stories”
When I was 14 years old (in 1960) I did not know anything about Mary Sachs, and my mother certainly was not a customer at her store, but I recall that, upon Ms. Sachs’ death, my mother got me to walk with her to Front Street, and we stood in Riverside Park opposite the synagogue where the funeral was being held, and we watched as the casket was carried down the front steps to a waiting hearse. People followed to their cars, and soon a procession began. My mother wanted to do this because while they had never met, she was recognizing Mary Sachs’ philanthropy to various organizations and other acts of generosity and kindness that Ms. Sachs had performed in her community during her life here.
I am Mary Sachs’ great niece; Emma Katzen, Mary’s sister, was my grandmother on my mother’s side. I was truly fortunate to have known her as a young child and teenager. I have many memories of talking with her while she was working on the floor or checking in on other departments. I can still see her with a pencil behind her ear checking in new merchandise; she preferred this to sitting behind a desk. I had a secret: I wanted to know more about retail. What better way to learn retail than to have Mary Sachs as my model and mentor. Regrettably, Ms. Sachs died before I had a chance to tell her about my desire to join her in retail.
On many Friday nights or on a holiday, Mary Sachs would come to my grandmother’s home. My cousins and I would be dressed and polished for her arrival with Aunt Hannah Cantor and Uncle Ben Cantor. Often, she would send gifts, usually clothing to us prior to the dinner. It is so amusing that one memory that stands out was her long black cape which she wore in the evenings. Of course, she was in command, but she also expressed an interest in our lives, especially how we were doing in school.
Although I did not fulfill my secret wish, Mary still stands as my model for industry, dedication, and achievement as a women.
My husband and I stayed in the B&B that had once been the home of Mary Sachs, and several copies of the book about her were around the rooms. I began reading the book, and it occurred to me that she may be related on my father’s side of my family. My last name is Sack, not Sachs, but my dad had a cousin in Chicago whose last name was spelled Sachs. Mary Sachs came from Russia (my father’s parents and his eldest brother, 2 years old at the time, and he said they came from Russia. The area they came from is now Ukraine, but in 1892, that area was part of the Russian empire. My father’s parents arrived in NYC in 1892, which I believe is the year Mary Sachs arrived.
Are there any living relatives of Mary Sachs who might be interested in being in touch? If so, I’d like to know how I might contact them.
Many thanks.
Emily Sack