Jewish Menswear of the Rust Belt

Jewish Menswear of the Rust Belt It is an archive of the central role Jews played in the garment industry.

This page documents the Jewish past of historic menswear stores in the Rust Belt as found in vintage labels in mens coats found in thrift stores located in PA, OH, WV and NY.

Took a drive to Johnstown, Pa this past Sunday, and found some interesting coats throughout the day!
03/26/2026

Took a drive to Johnstown, Pa this past Sunday, and found some interesting coats throughout the day!

Had a fun weekend away hitting up 13 thrift stores in WV, Western Maryland and Pa. Found three coats to add to my collec...
03/19/2026

Had a fun weekend away hitting up 13 thrift stores in WV, Western Maryland and Pa. Found three coats to add to my collection; Frankenberger's from Charleston WV, Henry B Klein's from Mckeesport, Pa, and S. Dreyfuss from Waynesboro, Pa. Also found some interesting labels, a few duplicates, which I documented with a photo. Overall a fun trip!

Found in Monroeville is this Jewish owned coat from Waxler's of Indiana, Pa! Waxler seemed like an interesting fella!
03/13/2026

Found in Monroeville is this Jewish owned coat from Waxler's of Indiana, Pa! Waxler seemed like an interesting fella!

Seen in Uniontown is this Billboard for Daniel's Morgantown, a Jewish owned men's wear store in Morgantown that is still...
03/13/2026

Seen in Uniontown is this Billboard for Daniel's Morgantown, a Jewish owned men's wear store in Morgantown that is still in business! Not a coincidence that the billboard is in Uniontown since there used to be a Daniel's in Uniontown! Also found some labels from Daniel's Uniontown!

Yesterday I found this old hanger from the Henry B. Klein Clothiers and Haberdasher of Mckeesport! First time I heard of...
03/13/2026

Yesterday I found this old hanger from the Henry B. Klein Clothiers and Haberdasher of Mckeesport! First time I heard of this store, it closed in 1981! Hope to find a coat label one day! I asked the cashier if I could have bought it and she said no! I should have asked to speak to the manager!!!

Found at the Goodwill in Uniontown, PA is this vintage coats from Daniel's Menswear. They had a store in Uniontown and M...
09/28/2025

Found at the Goodwill in Uniontown, PA is this vintage coats from Daniel's Menswear. They had a store in Uniontown and Morgantown, WV. The store in Morgantown is still open!

Some of the coats that I found but didn't get at the Irwin Goodwill! All Jewish owned!
09/21/2025

Some of the coats that I found but didn't get at the Irwin Goodwill! All Jewish owned!

Today's find of the day was found at the Irwin Goodwill and is from the former Jaison's Men's store that was founded by ...
09/21/2025

Today's find of the day was found at the Irwin Goodwill and is from the former Jaison's Men's store that was founded by the Balter family in McKeesport. It later had other stores in the area!

Yesterday I took a trip to Wheeling where I found a vintage coat at Goodwill from the former Bernhardt's Clothing store ...
08/29/2025

Yesterday I took a trip to Wheeling where I found a vintage coat at Goodwill from the former Bernhardt's Clothing store in downtown wheeling. A Jewish owned department store that opened in 1893 and was a staple of menswear in the area. I didn't purchase the coat because I already have one with the same label that I found at the St Vincent in Monessen a few weeks ago. I try to only get 1 coat per store unless I find additional that are spectacular! The store in the picture eventually burned down.

An exciting find at the City Mission thrift store in Waynesburg, PA is this mid century coat from the Weinberg's Smart S...
08/28/2025

An exciting find at the City Mission thrift store in Waynesburg, PA is this mid century coat from the Weinberg's Smart Shop in Weirton, WV. At one time Weirton had a thriving Jewish community along with neighboring Steubenville, Ohio. Weinberg's Smart Shop was owned by Marvin and Dorothy Weinberg, both active members of the Jewish community.

Welcome to the page! Found at the Goodwill in Washington, PA is this coat from the former Menswear store of Zeiden's fro...
08/27/2025

Welcome to the page! Found at the Goodwill in Washington, PA is this coat from the former Menswear store of Zeiden's from Beaver Falls, PA. Lou Zeiden founded the store in 1966. The store closed in 2008.

From the Rauh Jewish Archive:

"Louis “Lou” Zeidenscheider (1914-2012) worked in his father’s tailor shop before shortening his name to Zeiden and striking out on his own. He worked in men’s clothing shops in Pittsburgh and Erie as a buyer and merchandise manager before taking a job in Beaver Falls in 1953. When a clothing store in town burned down in 1966, he opened his own store called Zeiden’s. His concern with customer satisfaction and the fine goods and tailoring he offered regularly brought customers from Pittsburgh to Beaver Falls.

In 1939, Lou Zeiden married Ruth Friedman (d.1993). They had two children, Howard and Barbara. The Zeidens were active members of the Jewish community of Beaver Falls. Lou Zeiden was the president of Congregation Agudath Achim in Beaver Falls for 20 years and helped found the Beaver Valley Jewish Community Center. “When I arrived in Beaver Falls there was only a tiny shul in a poor, neglected area of downtown Beaver Falls,” Zeiden said in 1997, while being honored by the United Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Lev Society, “but I knew it could become a viable, flourishing Jewish community. One night at a dinner party a small group of us came up with the idea of building a new Jewish Community Center for the Beaver Valley. In less than three months the committee was formed and by 1960 we had our new center.”

Zeiden spent many years on the United Jewish Federation board of directors and was also involved in the Zionist Organization of America and with Riverview Towers among other Jewish communal groups, including the Rauh Jewish Archives Advisory Committee.

After the Zeidens moved back to Pittsburgh, they became members of Congregation B’nai Israel in East Liberty. As chair of the B’nai Israel cemetery committee, Lou Zeiden oversaw renovations of the congregation’s cemetery in Penn Hills." For more info: https://rauhjewisharchives.org/entry/zeiden-family/
https://www.timesonline.com/story/news/2008/06/11/another-main-street-mainstay-disappearing/18362971007/

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McKeesport, PA
15132

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