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Waldoff’s was an American Department Store chain founded in 1924 by Paul Waldoff in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It offerred a wide variety of apparel, home furnishings, textiles, cosmetics, shoes and bridal registry; it expanded from its flagship store in downtown Hattiesburg to four locations in South Mississippi. After 70 years of service, Waldoff’s closed its doors in 1994.
History
editIn 1924, Paul Waldoff opened Waldoff’s Department Store in downtown Hattiesburg, Mississippu. Founded by newly arrived Jewish immigrants, Waldoff’s prided itself in offering new fashions at affordable prices with the very best service. After his death in 1962, Paul Waldoff’s son, Milton, took over operations of the store and eventually grew it to include four different locations throughout South Mississippi.
Under Milton’s direction, Waldoff’s pursued several unorthodox but ultimately successful advertising campaigns. One such campaign was the Tithe Day sale that occurred the Wednesday before each Thanksgiving. During the sale, Waldoff’s would donate 10 percent of each purchase to the customer’s religious institution. Over the years, the Waldoff’s received many national and international awards in advertising, including over 50 gold, silver and bronze awards from the National Advertising Bureau.
Waldoff’s was also the first store in the area to partner with a local university to promote sporting events and pep rallies. Waldoff’s held pep rallies and would frequently run full-page ads in the Hattiesburg American newspaper expressing support for The University of Southern Mississippi's Golden Eagles. Waldoff’s would also sell special shirts for football games and give a portion of the proceeds to the Athletic Department. Several decades worth of advertisements and correspondence can now be viewed at the Special Collections Department of the McCain Library on the Southern Miss campus.
Milton went on to open three new stores- Waldoff’s at Edgewater Mall in Biloxi as well as a new Waldoff’s at the new Cloverleaf Mall in Hattiesburg, and Milton’s Ltd. was opened in Hattiesburg as a small specialty store for young men and women. The original store was closed served the people of the Pine Belt and Gulf Coast for 70 years before closing its doors in 1994.
Later developments
editAfter closing Waldoff’s in 1994, Milton Waldoff started the Waldoff Group, a consulting firm that helps struggling merchants and stores. The Waldoff Group specializes in conducting profitable going out of business sales. Milton, along with his wife Rita Mitchell-Waldoff, travels the country working with small specialty stores.
In September 2017, Signatures Magazine featured Waldoff’s as its main story. The article covered the history and cultural impact of the store in southern Mississippi. Milton Waldoff was heavily featured in the article, with several prominent business leaders in the area attesting to his business acumen.[1]