46 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 

Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History

accessible at www.djnfoundation.org

Where Fashion Reigned
I

recently wrote about the famous 
Himelhoch’s clothing store in Detroit. 
While there were many, many Jewish 
retailers in the city over the past centu-
ry, there was one other women’s cloth-
ing store in the same elite league as 
Himelhoch’s — B. Siegel’s. 
B. Siegel is mentioned on 407 pages 
of the Detroit Jewish Chronicle and the JN 
in the William Davidson 
Digital Archive of Jewish 
Detroit History. Indeed, 
“advertisements” for the 
store can be found in the 
very first issues of the 
Chronicle. I found it interest-
ing that, instead of images 
of clothing, shoes or other 
goods, these ads were 
mini-essays, written to provide the reader 
with the reasons that one should shop at 
B. Siegel. 
For example, consider the moral of 
the ad from Chronicle of July 13, 1917. It 
begins with an “overheard conversation” 
about Siegel’s and then: “The woman who 
comes to B. Siegel Co.’s has also learned 
that style is foremost, and that it is always 
combined with extreme care in selection 
of material …”
The store’s founder, Ben Siegel, was 
born in Germany in 1861 and migrated 
to Selma, Ala., in 1876. There, he learned 
about retail merchandising. Siegel moved 
to Detroit in 1881, where he bought the 
Heyn’s Bazaar on Woodward Avenue. 
He changed the store’s name to Siegel’s 
Cloaks, Suits and Furs, claiming that it 
was the “finest and most complete cloak 
and suit store in the United States.” 
In 1904, B. Seigel’s moved into a cast-
iron-fronted structure at Woodward 
and State Street, near J.L. Hudson’s and 
Himelhoch’s. That same year, Ben mar-
ried Sophie Siegel (her surname was also 
Siegel). Aunt Sophie was “no shrinking 
violet,” nephew Marty Mayer related in a 
story about the family from the Aug. 25, 

1998 issue of the JN. She even taught him 
how to shoot dice and play poker! She 
was also a respected communal leader.
Indeed, the Siegels were great support-
ers of the Detroit Jewish community. 
Editor Philip Slomovitz wrote about 
the impact of the Siegels in the April 
3, 1981, issue of the JN. Along with 
participation in and generous dona-
tions to various organizations, Ben 
was deeply involved in the fight 
against the antisemitism of Henry 
Ford and Father Coughlin. Even 
after Sophie passed in 1955, her good 
work continued: She donated the Siegel 
mansion in Detroit’s Boston Edison 
district to the Greater Detroit Interfaith 
Roundtable. It was home for that organi-
zation until 1997. 
Ben managed B. Siegel’s until 1931. 
After he retired, his nephew, Leo, was 
CEO until 1947. During Ben’s era, B. 
Siegel’s was closed on Shabbat; his succes-
sors closed the store on Yom Kippur and 
Rosh Hashanah. He also made a habit 
of giving newborn babies a free pair of 
shoes. Ben died in 1936.
Eventually, B. Siegel grew to eight loca-
tions. Its store at Livernois and Seven 
Mile helped give that area its nickname: 
“the Avenue of Fashion.” Unfortunately, 
like Himelhoch’s and other stores, B. 
Siegel’s could not survive the 
drastic economic changes 
that occurred in Metro 
Detroit. The chain closed 
its doors in 1981.
The 100-year history of 
B. Siegel’s is another great 
saga of Jewish immigrant 
success in Detroit. Many 
shoppers still miss the store 
“where fashion reigns.” 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN 
Foundation archives, available 
for free at www.djnfoundation.org.

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

Where Fashion Reigned

She even taught him 

how to shoot dice and play poker! She 
was also a respected communal leader.

Indeed, the Siegels were great support-

ers of the Detroit Jewish community. 
Editor Philip Slomovitz wrote about 
the impact of the Siegels in the April 

. Along with 

participation in and generous dona-

after Sophie passed in 1955, her good 
work continued: She donated the Siegel 
mansion in Detroit’s Boston Edison 
district to the Greater Detroit Interfaith 

like Himelhoch’s and other stores, B. 
Siegel’s could not survive the 

shoppers still miss the store 

Go to the DJN 

