The Patio Podcast is a new collection of Hess’s memories, meant for the here and now.

WATCH or LISTEN S2 E6: Preserving Pip with Mark Keeler

“He said, ‘Well, we've got enough puppeteers, we're not really looking for anybody.’ And I said that I had a copy of the script. And he was like, ‘Hmm, interesting...’ ”

— MARK KEELER, Longest Serving Puppeteer of Pip the Mouse Program

About the Podcast

The Patio Podcast is a wistful exploration of my hometown's enduring attachment to Hess’s Department Store. In candid conversations with residents, historians, collectors, former shoppers and employees, The Patio Podcast hopes to shed light on Allentown, Pennsylvania’s multigenerational interest in one single place.

Does nostalgia this visceral unite a city, or hold it back? How has Max Hess, Jr.’s marketing genius endured? What happened to his famous chandeliers? And how good was that strawberry pie, really?

The Patio Podcast is a new collection of Hess’s memories, meant for the here and now.

“Be best. Be first.

Be entertaining.”

-Max Hess

Kate J. Kareha, Creator & Host

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