Category:Dobnoff's, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Dobnoff's was a primarily women's clothing store in Allentown, Pennsylvania. For many years its main store was located at 617 Hamilton Street, in the "Downtown" central buisness and retail district.

The buisness was a family-owned one, started by Abraham (Abe) Dobnoff in 1913 at 631-33 Ridge Avenue in Allentown. Dobnoff was a Russian immigrant who came to Allentown about 1913. When he opened his store, he gave clothing away to needy children in the 8th Ward and helped other families without asking for public reognition. Dobnoff eventually brought his parents and eight brothers and sisters to the United States from Russia. Dobnoff never went to school, but taught himself to read and write English. He opened a second store at 609 North 7th Street in September 1921 as the "Dobnoff Chain Store", that offered clothing for men, women and children. In September 1926, Dobnoff opened a third store 4th and Hamilton Streets (405 Hamilton) in Feburary 1926.

In June 1918, Lewis Anewalt, a long-time furrier on Hamilton Street passed away. With his passing, his store was sold to a partnership of three of his employees, Henry H Fetterman, Harry E Keiser and Raymond W Weisenheimer. The business was renamed as Fetterman & Company. However the renamed buisness did not do well after Anewalt's passing, and it moved to 246 North Seventh Street in November 1926, and eventually went out of buisness in December 1941.

The Anewalt/Fetterman store was taken over by Bon Ton, a ladies' apparel store in September, 1926. Bon Ton later moved to to 727 Hamilton in March, 1928. With the location again empty, Abe Dobnoff obtained the property and opened his fourth store at the 617 Hamilton Street address in April 1928. By 1929 Abe Dobnoff consolodated his buisness there, although the Ridge Avenue store remained open until December 1940.

By 1936, the Dobnoff Store became the largest ready-to-wear ladies' and children's clothing store in Allentown, when he purchaced the adjacent 615 Hamilton Street store and merged the to addresses. The Hamilton Street Store was the first air-conditioned buisness in Allentown, and after World War II, Dobnoff became one of the founders of the Park & Shop consortium. Apparantley Dobnoff maintained the Anewalt fur vaults, as Dobnoff's had an extensive fur department.

Abe Dobnoff retired from reailing in 1946, however he had served as a consultant to the store until 1957. In April 1966 the buisness was purchaced from the Dobnoff family by the Zollinger-Harned department store. With the sale, Dobnoff's was consolodated into Zollingers, which went bankrupt in 1978.

1n August 1983, the vacant Dobnoff building was torn down as part of a restoration project of the Zollinger-Harned building. However the glass and steel shopping arcade, planned for the location was never built, and for many years was a vacant lot. The Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority (ANIZDA) obtained the 615-617 Hamilton Street property in 2018 and announced its redevelopment into an urban walkway extension of the Court Street Allentown Arts Walk, which would connect the Arts Walk to Hamilton Street. The redeveloped area now has lighted podiums, new step-style seating and a well-lit welcoming area all cohesively designed with uniform paving and railings. It is also illuminated with special overhead string lighting.

Abe Dobnoff passed away in November 1963. He was one of the founders of Temple Beth El in Allentown and the Allentown Jewish Community Center.