End of an Era
In the late 1980s, rumors began to circulate that Freedlander’s, now run by Herman’s son, Harold, would be sold. Most of the town reacted negatively to the 105 year-old store passing out of the hands of the family that ran it since the nineteenth century. Eventually the rumors were confirmed when the last independently owned department store in Wooster was given to the Wooster Growth Corporation for just ten dollars. Many local investors expressed an interest in acquiring the building and running it under new management, but ultimately L.H.B. Inc. bought the store. L.H.B. Inc. consisted of Larry H. Becker, a former merchandise manager at Freedlander’s, and a group of twenty-one investors. Although Harold Freedlander’s retirement and the subsequent sale of the store meant that it passed out of the family, the first sale did allow it to remain with someone strongly tied to the store’s tradition.
The store was sold again in 1999 to Stan Gault, but competition with newer businesses in the north end of Wooster eventually proved too much. In 2008, the announcement came that Freedlander’s, which had been in business for 124 years, would close. Immediately, customers and locals expressed their anguish through phone calls, letters, and visits to the store. Ann Freedlander Hunt, the granddaughter of Herman Freedlander, felt the loss of the store strongly and described the feeling as, “When I opened the paper on Wednesday, it was like reading about a death in a family…It was more than an institution. People felt close to the store. From the moment they walked in, they were greeted and assisted”. Mary Alice Streeter, former Freedlander’s treasurer, reflected fondly about the store and Herman’s character, reminiscing that: “I think the thing that sticks out most about the store to me as Herman Freedlander…He had a heart of gold and would do anything for anybody. People would come in with no money and in need, and he’d give them clothes”. Freedlander’s closed in 2009 after a final auction of merchandise. Although no trace of the store remains in downtown Wooster, memories of Herman’s friendly greetings and the madness of Dollar Days sales live on through the photos and recollections of its loyal customers.
1 “ ‘Nothing is Tied Down’ on Freedlander’s,” The Daily Record, July 26, 1989.
2 “The Sale of The Century: City Offers Growth Crop. Sweet $10 Deal,” The Daily Record, August 24, 1989.
3 “New Lease on Life”, The Daily Record, September 8, 1989.
4 Bryan Schaaf, “Freedlander’s Played Important Part in Community, Patrons’ Lives,” The Daily Record, August 4, 2008.
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.
7 “A Final Farewell: Closing Day Emotional for Freedlander’s Employees,” The Daily Record, March 1, 2009.