Company History
A History of Dittrich Furs…
When Dittrich Furs opened it’s doors in 1893, it was a very different world than it is today. Henry Ford was experimenting with the two cylinder engine and Detroit’s streets were illuminated by gaslight. On February 21, 1893 Emil Dittrich, a furrier from London, opened a small, second-story wholesale shop on Witherall Avenue, near Trapper’s Alley. Emil bought pelts directly from trappers and made them into scarves and collars for wool coats. Now in its fifth generation of family leadership, Dittrich Furs is the oldest continuously privately-held business in Detroit.
Emil started a tradition of quality by using only the finest pelts in his garments. Because of this, it wasn’t long before he had a thriving retail business in addition to his wholesale operation.
After World War I, Dittrich Furs outgrew its original location and moved to the Fisher Arcade on Woodward Avenue. Emil and his three sons, Francis, Harold E. and Alfred operated the business at this location until it moved to its third location at 2341 Grand River in 1928.
Harold E. Dittrich, known by future generations as “Papa” brought his three sons Robert, Donald and Harold “Hal” M (later to become known as “Hal Sr.”) into the business and they learned all aspects of the company and trade under the tutelage of their father as he had from his father. Harold E.’s first lesson to each new employee, including his sons, was to take them to the sales floor where he would point to the front door and state “When someone comes through that door, we treat them like they are coming into our living room”. The Dittrich family still gives the same instructions to every new employee to this day.
On April 26th 1942 an expansion project of the Grand River Ave. location was completed. The expansion, which was built on two purchased adjoining lots, increased the street frontage of the store to 120 feet, expanded the showroom to 4000 sq/ft and the shop and cleaning facilities to 5000 sq/ft, and a 4000 sq/ft fireproof refrigerated storage space was added. Additionally, the parking lot for customers was paved, a luxurious accoutrement for the times.
A story told by previous (3rd and 4th) generations that bears remembering. — “In the 1940’s Dittrich Furs was the first and only furrier, and one of the first Detroit businesses, to allow African Americans in through the front door, where others allowed blacks to only enter through the back door,” their reasoning was based on the belief that “every hard-working American deserves respect.”
Dittrich Furs remained at the Grand River location until 1965 when freeway construction mandated another move, this time to its current location on Third Avenue.
The new building was built to the Dittrich family’s state-of-the-art specifications, utilizing technological advances in fur care and manufacturing and designed to accommodate increasing customer demand. The building included a two-story underground, fully-refrigerated fur storage vault, constructed from two-foot-thick poured concrete and protected by a bank vault door. A facility the likes of which the fur industry had never seen. This storage facility was able to securely protect and preserve 16,000 fur garments during the summer months. The building also included a large shop that always employed at least two master furriers and up to a dozen seamstress finishers.
Wanting to expand their presence in the Metro Detroit Area, in September of 1977, the Dittrich family opened an elegant showroom-only location on N. Woodward Ave. in Bloomfield Hills, where suburban customers could shop more conveniently and drop off their fur fashions for services. Dittrich Furs’ service operations of storage, manufacturing, alterations, repairs and cleaning remained at the Third Ave. location in Detroit along with its own opulent showroom.
During the late 1970’s and early 1980’s the already renowned Dittrich Furs gained further notoriety from its unique advertising campaigns under the direction of Harold “Hal Jr.” G. Dittrich. The three most notable and recognized are as follows…
1977 – The famous “criss-cross skiers wearing fur coats” television commercial was filmed at Pine Knob Ski Resort. This ad won various advertising industry awards and accolades. Skiers/Models: Didi Nolan and Barb Bostick Owens
1981 – Dittrich Furs jingle created by Dan Yessian… Sung by Larry Santo and Marge Haber
1983 – The famous “fur-wearing Horse Rider” commercial was filmed. Equestrian/model: Julie Frazer
Due to continuing success and business diversification, Dittrich Furs purchased the adjacent property (825 Lothrop) to the west of their Detroit location and broke ground to expand in 1986. This addition encompassed a loading garage, more underground storage and two new office areas. One office space attached to the main building for the expanding needs of the advertising and accounting departments and another, separated by the new loading garage, for a growing lease department and traveling sales operation. This business expansion operated the fur departments of J.C Penny’s, Crowley’s and B. Siegels on Livernois, Detroit’s Avenue of Fashion, as well as pop-up hotel sales. At this time Dittrich Furs was operating in 18 states.
Throughout the latter part of the 1980s and continuing into 2026, the Dittrich family has upheld their longstanding tradition of excellence by remaining faithful to the principles established by previous generations. By maintaining the highest standards of product quality and craftsmanship —standards for which Dittrich Furs is widely recognized within the international fur industry— at the lowest prices, the company consistently distinguished itself from its competitors. Dittrich Furs also continued to offer its clientele an unparalleled selection with one of the most extensive fur fashion collections in the United States.
Constantly evolving with the fashion landscape, Dittrich Furs continually updated, modernized and refined its uniquely distinctive inventory to feature the latest high-fashion and designer-name garments, including exclusive fashions designed by the Dittrich’s themselves. The product selection encompassed a wide price range to accommodate customers with varying budgets. Additionally, Dittrich Furs remained committed to providing a superior level of personalized customer service, a practice that has become increasingly rare in today’s retail and consumer environments.
The Dittrich family has always known that taking pride in your product should be on the same level of importance as profit, that these concepts are positively correlated, and that honesty and integrity are the foundation upon which both must stand.
Over the past several decades the Dittrich family has been asked many times by news media and customers alike “How does a business remain in business so long?”, “What’s the secret behind Dittrich’s longevity?” or similar questions. The answer is easy “As the Golden Rule implies… do the right thing.”
Dittrich Furs will turn 133 years old Feb 21st 2026 before its final closing on April 30th, 2026.
