Loehmann's

About Loehmann's

In 1921, long before the off-price retail model became a suburban staple, Frieda Loehmann and her son Charles C. Loehmann started a new venture in Brooklyn, New York. Their concept was straightforward: purchase seasonal overstocks directly from designers and sell them at a significant discount. Frieda would famously use cash to buy up inventory, establishing the foundation of a business that would thrive for decades. While Frieda focused on the original store, her son Charles had ambitions to expand. After his mother's passing, the company went public in the 1960s and began its national expansion. The store became legendary for its 'Back Room,' a space where shoppers could find designer goods at bargain prices. The business saw several ownership changes, including an acquisition by Associated Dry Goods in 1983 and was taken public again in 1996. However, the turn of the century brought significant challenges. Loehmann's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy three times, in 1999, 2010, and finally in 2013. This last filing led to the closure of all its physical stores in 2014, followed by the shuttering of its online presence in 2018. In a surprising turn, the brand was acquired by fellow New York retailer Century 21 in 2020, with plans to revive the iconic name through pop-up stores.