William Laubach and Sons

William Laubach and Sons

by Sharon Gothard

 

William Laubach started his dry goods business on April 6 in 1860. The storeroom was a mere 12x40 feet in size and was on the site of what would be his large store on Northampton Street in Easton, PA. William was born in Plainfield Township, Northampton County on February 18, 1833. Growing up in a rural area, he had limited schooling, but was a very determined young man. His first job at age 16 was a general store at Kesslersville, later moving to Easton and working for Jacob Hay and then Radar & Bros. These jobs were teaching him business, but his dream was to have his own place. He was ambitious and hard working. All of this paid off when he opened his own store in 1860. The following year he opened a larger store at Fourth and Northampton Sts. and stayed there until November 1872.

January 18, 1864 Easton Express
 

                                                                                   

 

 

On November 21, 1872, William opened the “Laubach’s Trade Palace”.  This was located on Northampton Street where Laubach’s store eventually stayed until it's end.This store was 28x170 in dimensions; the front was three stories high, the rear was one story. The opening of this store was held in the evening with no sales. William did something that had never been done in Easton, he had an orchestra furnish the music. William had engaged Prof. Coates string band to entertain the more than 3,000 people that had come to see the grand store. Ten-year-old George A., son of William, handed out circulars describing the store and its future policy from six o’clock to ten o’oclock. This event was so spectacular, people talked about it for years.

 

 

                   December 12, 1872 Easton Express

 

 

On July 1, 1881, George, the eldest of Williams sons entered the business and in 1889 was taken into the firm now known as William Laubach & Son. By then an addition of 50 feet was added in the rear of the store. William’s sons each entered the business as employees. William in 1888, Charles in 1897, Frederick and Henry in 1901.

William little by little was buying neighboring property to add to his store and by 1905 improvements were made and gave the store a 107-foot frontage. On July 24, 1908, a charter was granted to the father and sons, incorporating the firm under the name of “William Laubach & Sons.”

                                                                                

The famous marble staircases

 

Exterior views

On April 6, 1910, their 50^th anniversary of the store, William was surprised by his 200 employees. They presented him with a silver loving cup with an engraving of appreciation. This cup was something he cherished until his passing. In that same year, further improvements were made by erecting a large building in the rear and adding to the east. On June 18, 1910 there was an informal laying of a corner stone at the store. It was embedded on the Bank Street side.The stone was of Barre granite and was cut by D. J. Howells Sons. It was a large block of 350 pounds with the numbers 1860 and 1910 in raised polished letters. In a niche put into the stone was placed a sealed metal case containing the names of all employees of the store and the date when each began his or her service. Also the name of all the workmen engaged on the building of the new addition. Included were copies of a group picture of the members of the firm and a photograph of Mrs. Wm. Laubach. A collection of coins, a copy of the Holy Bible, views of Easton's public buildings and some newspaper accounts of the celebration of their golden anniversary.

 April 6, 1910 Easton Express

 

On July 30, 1914 the store suffered a great loss. William passed away. His obituary described him as one of the most prosperous businessman and a truly honest caring man.  Giving to charities was not foreign to him along with being humble.

 

 

George A. was the eldest son, born October 10, 1862. After his father’s death, he became president of the firm. In 1915 a seven story addition was added to the rear of the store. By 1918 they bought more neighboring property to make them the largest retail store in Easton. 

 

In 1920 they celebrated their 60 years in business and commemorated it by putting out a handsome 30 page booklet. For everyone's safety they had new overhead sprinklers added. The store had thousands of feet of fine aluminum tubes running through the store for carrying cash to the cashier's desk and  4 electric elevators in the building. There was a total of thirty departments within the store. Inside there was Ribbon and Toilets goods, Lace, Trimmings, Veils, and Embroideries, a confectionery department, an art department, Ladies' and Children's Glove, Linings and Notions, a Men's Furnishing Department, Umbrellas and Patterns, Hosiery and Underwear, Leather Goods and Jewelry, Stationery and Handkerchiefs, Linens, Domestics and Blankets, Dress Goods and Silks, Women's Misses and Children's Shoes, Ready-to-Wear Garments, Infant's Wear, Millinery, Boys' Clothing, Muslin Underwear and Corsets, Carpets and Rugs, Curtains and Awnings, Furniture, China, Glass and House Furnishings, and Books. They had a spacious restaurant and a Mail Order Department. 

Laubach's decked out at Christmas
 

George A. died in September of 1928. Henry Laubach passed two years later in 1930. Charles passed in 1941 and William in 1952. Frederick Laubach, the last president of the firm, passed away in 1982 at the age of 101.

In 1947, Allied Store Corp. took over and leased the Laubach's store. Harry Schwartz became the president of the firm. Schwartz would be the first person to run this store that was not in the Laubach family, staying until 1962. On August 1, 1964, Allied merged the Laubach's store and the new area Pomeroy's store. For awhile it was called Pomeroy's Laubach's, but eventually became just Pomeroy's. Pomeroy's had an "Opening" for a remodeled first floor in November of 1970. By 1973 the site was sold to real estate broker Orlandi for $400,000. Allied Stores then leased from Orlandi. In 1974, Pomeroy's store and personnel director, met a horrible death when he fell 35 feet to the bottom of the store's freight elevator shaft. By the end of 1976 Pomeroy's was closed. From the book "Shop Pomeroy's First, by Michael J. Lisicky, Jane Moyer, local historian and librarian is quoted; "Laubach's was a family store and was well known for it's hats, fine china and piece goods. The store just made you feel special.  Laubach's was a far more superior store to Pomeroy's. When Pomeroy's arrived, all of the old people were gone, and it was filled with cheaper merchandise. I never liked it.  It wasn't a quality store. It felt like a chain store."

Later, owners of the building were Jacob and Asher Seip and Raymond Bartolacci.In 1986, George A. Switlyk, of Maplewood, N.J. purchased the property for $300,000 cash. Switlyk started off with a bang in Easton, buying many buildings with the promise of rehabbing them. By 1991 Horizon Development Company, a Phillipsburg real estate firm, purchased the Pomeroy building. Horizon paid $4,700 for the building at a Northampton County sheriff's sale. In the year 2005, Ashley Development bought the building for $1.5 million from Giel Millner of Andover, N.J. Millner ran a specialty food wholesale business there in the mid-1990s.Millner, bought the building for $25,000 in March of 1992. In 2012 VM Development had bought the building and finished the condos (Pomeroy Loft) that were started by Ashley Development. Currently, there are the condos and two restaurants on the ground floor.

Current view of the building