75th The year was 1893. On Feb. 21, furrier Emil
Dittrich of London opened a wholesale shop on the second story of a store on Witherall Avenue. He bought pelts directly from the trappers and made them into scarves and collars for wool coats.
Today, Dittrich Furs is a fifth-generation
family-owned business. It is the oldest family- owned retail business in Detroit.
Emil Dittrich only used the finest pelts in his
garments, and soon had both a thriving retail business and a wholesale operation. It outgrew its original location after Word War I and moved to the Fisher Arcade on Woodward Avenue. Emil and his three sons, Francis, Harold E. and Alfred operated the business until it moved to its third location on Grand River in 1928.
In 1965, freeway construction required an-
other move, and Dittrich Furs relocated to its current home at 7373 Third Ave. The store also underwent many changes, including making fa- cilities state-of-the-art.
At the same time, Harold E. Dittrich brought
his three sons Robert, Donald and Harold M. into the business. Harold’s first lesson to each new employee, including his sons, was to take them to the sales floor where he would point to the front door and state “When someone comes through that door, we treat them like they are coming into our living room.” The Dittrich family still gives the same instructions to every new employee.
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
October 13-19, 2010 Dittrich Furs: Giving Detroit style, warmth
board for more than 20 years; and remained active in the business until his death in 1996. Under his guidance, along with his son, Harold (Hal) G. Dittrich, the company opened a branch store at 39515 North Woodward in Bloomfield Hills in 1977.
Today, Hal Dittrich helms Dittrich Furs
with his sons, Jason and Shawn. Among other things, they make sure every customer’s gar- ment is personally inspected several times, and at least once by a Dittrich family member to ensure it is cared for properly and necessary maintenance is suggested. They’ve also put in place employee training programs that insure that each and every customer deals with a fur expert and receives a high level of service that is often hard to find in this day and age.
Dittrich Furs has grown from a second-story
shop to housing one of the largest fur collec- tions in the United States. The company pro- vides a full range of services, including the design and manufacturing of fur garments, repairing and re-styling of older garments and state of the art cleaning and storage.
When Dittrich Furs opened its doors in
ENTERTAINER Foxy Brown showing a little love for Dittrich Furs.
Harold M. Dittrich began his career at Dit- Watching ‘The Scene’
By Richard Metzger Reprinted from the Richard Metzger Blog
“The Scene” was a daily dance show that fea-
tured many national and local guests artists as well as many teens from the community. The show ran for a record twelve consecutive years, from 1975 to 1987, and left the air as one the most popular shows in the history of WGPR- TV, Channel 62.
“The Scene” had a strong loyal following of
viewers that grew to include city and suburb, White and Black, the young and the young at heart. Nat Morris, executive producer and host, provided opportunities for unknown artists, launching many careers that went on to nation- al and international fame. “The Scene” paved the way for all the Detroit local entertainment TV shows that followed and had the impact on Detroit Black television in much the same way
that “Soul Train” and Don Cornelius had on a national level.”
I grew up watching this show, still have some VHS gems of it (somewhere).
Well it’s six o’clock and it’s time to rock We rock non-stop ’til 7 o’clock We don’t stop, we don’t stop We rock rock rock all around the clock I say hip hop hippety hop We jam, jam, jam on Dancers come from all around To throw down in this here geektown The latest steps and the latest styles Pretty faces and pretty smiles We’re lookin’ good, everybody scream ’Cuz it’s 6 o’clock and time for “The Sceeeene”!
Some of the dancers on this show even went
big time and appeared on “Soul Train” and competed on “Dance Fever.”
ONE OF many popular Dittrich Furs ads.
trich’s as a young boy distributing flyers door- to-door for the company; was chairman of the
1893, Detroit’s streets were illuminated by gas- light, and we were still three years away from Charles Brady King driving the first gasoline automobile in Detroit. A lot has changed since then, but the family atmosphere and dedication to quality and craftsmanship remain the same.
Then & Now The Michigan Chronicle has featured many community celebrities in its pages over the
course of its 70-plus year history. Here are a few pictures depicting three well-known leaders in the community, O’Neil D. Swanson, Judge Craig Strong and Chuck Stokes, then and now.
Page C-5
O’NEIL D. SWANSON, president and CEO, Swanson Funeral Homes Inc. It has been a pillar in the community for many decades.
“THE SCENE” was an influential dance show whose impact rivaled “Soul Train,” at least from a local perspective.
DPS, McDonald’s Battle of the Bands Detroit still cares about
music, that’s why DPS and McDonald’s have teamed up to present the McDonald’s Battle of the Bands, which will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at Cadillac Square in downtown Detroit, starting at 11 a.m.
The event’s purpose is to
build awareness and help raise funds for a music program that has created a legacy of world- renowned musicians, lawyers, doctors, social workers and other outstanding members in the community.
Local African American
McDonald’s owner/operators are providing seed money to sponsor and promote this highly-visible fundraising campaign to assist in helping DPS schools pay for expenses that may not otherwise be cov- ered internally. McDonald’s will coordinate event logistics, school transportation and meals.
Six Detroit high school
bands will march the length of Cadillac Square while being judged on their march- ing, alignment and sound. They will conclude their per- formances with a marching
band showdown. Each band will have the opportunity to perform three songs with a unified grand finale perfor- mance. The bands are from Cass Technical High School, Detroit School of Arts High School, Martin Luther King High School, Mumford High School, Renaissance High School and Western Interna- tional High School.
For more information, call
(248) 855-6777 or (313) 268- 6625 cell. You may also visit
http://www.detroitpsfounda-
tion.org/battleofthebands/.
CRAIG STRONG, 3rd District Circuit Court judge, is known nationally for his celebrity photo- graphs, and his sartorial taste in clothing.
CHUCK STOKES, award-winning journalist, is the editorial/public affairs director for WXYZ- TV/Channel 7Detroit and is the moderator and producer of “Spotlight on the News,” Detroit’s longest-running weekly news and public affairs show.
Affordable health coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.
Learn more :
HIPMichigan.org 877-459-3113
CASS TECH will participate in this year’s McDonald’s Battle of the Bands. Administered by:
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