8442 West Jefferson Avenue
Zolkower family home, Zolkower’s Department Store
Harry Zolkower came to the United States from Austria in 1910. By 1916, he had moved to Detroit. He worked as a door-to-door salesman for a few years, but in 1919, he and his wife Mollie, a Polish immigrant, opened a variety store in their home at 8442 West Jefferson Street.
Harry and Mollie had three children: Meyer, Rose, and William. In 1934, Meyer graduated from Northwestern High School. In 1937, Rose married Dr. Julius Stern. William eventually joined the military.
As business grew, the operation outgrew their house, so they demolished it, building the structure pictured here in 1936. At the time, it was part of a bustling commercial corridor in Delray funded by Detroiters working at numerous factories in the area.
In 1942, William had advanced to the rank of corporal in the military. He was stationed in Camp Tyson, Tennessee, before being transferred to officer training school in New Jersey. Additionally, he was an instructor at the United States Army radio station. In 1945, Harry donated $550 to the Community War Campaign. Being from Austria and having at least one child in the military made it personal for him.
In 1948, William married Helen Rood. The following year, the family opened a new store in Allen Park. In 1952, the Dearborn store opened.
Although the family had plans to continue growing the business, Harry wouldn’t be there to see it. He passed away on Sunday, February 20, 1955. According to his obituary, he had been a Detroit resident for four decades. Services were held at Ira Kaufman Chapel on Dexter, and all Zolkower’s Department Stores were closed for the day.
The same year Harry passed, the family opened a fourth store at Plymouth and Evergreen.
In 1956, the Detroit Free Press published a piece that featured the Zolkower Department Store on Jefferson, pictured here. Ericka, Anna-Marie, and Endre Hancs, 13, 15, and 11, Andras Streben, 8, and other children were given complimentary new outfits from the store after arriving in the States from Hungary.
Initially given red dresses to try on, the girls in the group said they loved them but wished they weren’t red, a reminder of the communist regime they had escaped. Workers at the store quickly replaced them with a different color. All the kids got multiple outfits and accessories. They were taken to the store by representatives from First Hungarian Lutheran and Holy Cross Hungarian Catholic Churches, both of which were members of the Hungarian Churches and Societies Relief Organization.
William Zolkower said, “It’s the least I can do. Our store was developed by the patronage of Hungarians in this neighborhood. I feel a part of them.”
The last mention of the Delray store that I’ve found was in 1956 for an after-Christmas sale.
I haven’t found much information about this structure after the closure of Zolkower’s. I’ll highlight what I have discovered after telling the rest of the Zolkower story.
In 1957, Zolkower Department Store was one of the first that opened when the Farmington Shipping Plaza on Grand River was completed. In 1959, there were still locations in Allen Park, Detroit, Dearborn, and Farmington.
By the late 1950s, big-box stores were on the horizon, and many mom-and-pop shops were on their last legs. On June 26, 1962, the Zolkower Department Store in Allen Park had an auction. By the following year, all of the stores had closed.
1963 was a year of grieving for the Zolkower family. In June, Franklin Simon @ Co. named Meyer Zolkower district supervisor over six stores, including three in the Detroit area. In October, William passed away. His funeral was on the 27th.
By 1973, Meyer had become Vice President of Store Operations and a Franklin Simon & Co. Executive Committee member.
In 1975, a piece in the Detroit Free Press highlighted an idea Meyer had six years prior and detailed how it had panned out. His idea was to gather clearance stock and out-of-date merchandise from local Franklin Simon & Co. stores and consolidate it in one place with drastically marked-down prices. The idea, called ‘The Attic,’ was first tested on the top floor of the company store in downtown Detroit. It gave the customer a good deal and helped the business move old stock. More stores around the country eventually opened similar departments.
In 1976, Meyer died at 60 years old. His funeral was at Ira Kaufman Chapel, like his father, but by this point, it had moved to Southfield. His mother, Mollie, died in 1988.
After leaving their location in Delray, pictured here, I’m unsure what happened to the structure. Given the time when they left, I’d assume it was used as a warehouse or light manufacturing facility.
In the early 2000s, the side of the structure facing downriver was used as a billboard for various companies. I’m unsure if one of them owned the building and operated it as a warehouse for merchandise, but all the signs were eventually scribbled over with graffiti.
In 2023, a new mural was added to the wall where the adverts used to be. It’s titled “Waawiyaatanong: From The Ashes, She Rises” and was painted by Hadassah GreenSky, an Anishinaabe artist. Initially created in 2022, the piece greets drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists as they enter Detroit from River Rouge. To date, it’s one of my favorite murals that I’ve come across in the city.
Today, the building is owned by the city. The interior is destroyed, and, given the amount of items inside, was last used for storage of some kind. This structure will likely be demolished; it’s just a question of when.
If you have any information about this structure between the closure of the Zolkower Department Store and today, I’d love to hear it!
