The final week of October, despite temperatures in the mid to high 70s, customers were waiting outside of Carl W. Herrmann Furs.
They wanted to say goodbye to a long-standing business in Downtown Pittsburgh.
“The store wasn’t even open yet but they were here,” said Carl “Guy” W. Herrmann IV, owner of one of the most recognizable stores on Smithfield Street. “Some of these customers I haven’t seen in years. I’ve been getting cards in the mail from customers, too, saying how wonderful the staff and our family have been to them over the years.”
The outpouring of support for a fur business on unseasonably hot days is because after nearly 125 years in business, the full-service furrier is closing. Herrmann said he is planning on wrapping things up by late January. He sent letters to customers in mid-October offering them a private sale.
A public sale will be forthcoming.
Herrmann is a fourth-generation furrier — his great-grandfather founded the store — and said this has been the hardest decision.
The company, which has been in the Downtown location since the 1960s, started on the North Side in 1900, where his family is from. Herrmann, who lives in Blackridge, attended Fox Chapel Area High School and Shady Side Academy.
“I thought I was mentally prepared for what this was going to be like, but the response has been wonderful and I am grateful,” he said as he held a full-length white fur coat. “I’ve had so many hugs in the past two weeks.”
Health issues are the main issue for the closure, he said.
Herrmann was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm, in May, and had a procedure in September.
There were times he would have to sit down and rest during the day from fatigue.
“I didn’t have a lot of energy,” said Herrmann, 65. “On a good day, I was at 70%. I had a virus but I knew something else wasn’t right. I was relieved when I found out the problem. I am feeling better now.”
Herrmann is also having vision problems with his left eye, which makes doing any kind of alteration challenging. Alterations, repairs and restyling of furs are important to providing quality customer service, he said.
Lynda Horsley of Downtown was shopping on Thursday. She purchased her first fur — a blue fox fur — in the 1970s from Carl W. Herrmann Furs. She is sad it is closing.
“I love this store,” she said. “It has been around a long time and the name speaks for itself.”
Herrmann said it is customers like Horsley who make coming to work enjoyable.
“I am really going to miss the people,” said Herrmann, who began by working part-time in the store as a teenager in between playing baseball. “Many of our customers have become friends.”
Herrmann said his three children aren’t interested in taking over the fur business because they’ve created their own successful career paths. However, the business is profitable, and people are still buying furs, he said.
Yet what they purchase is different. When he started, 75% of sales were in full-length coats. Now, that is less than 3%. Shorter coats, vests and accessories such as hats, headbands and gloves are more popular. Women do not dress up as much as they used to. With more people working from home, Herrmann said, a short fur jacket is more practical for an everyday look.
Furs can be dyed in bright and bold colors. They can be restyled from a long coat to a swing coat or a vest.
He said furriers, locally and across the country, have always been supportive and respectful. He talked about how when he and other owners would be on buying trips, they would purchase various sizes and swap garments if one of them had a size the other needed for a customer.
Like it was for everyone, the 2020 pandemic was not easy for retail businesses. Hermann said he did find that because customers were not spending money on vacations and other luxuries, some chose to purchase a new coat as a way to treat themselves.
In addition to selling coats and accessories of real, natural animal fur, the company also handles alterations, repairs, restoration and restyling furs. Herrmann said there is no way this business would have survived this long had they not had amazing employees over the years who care about the business.
”Carl Herrmann Furs is a Smithfield Street institution and a regional retail destination,” said Aaron Sukenik, vice president of district development for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, via email. “Smithfield Street will always be known as home to Pittsburgh’s last fur shop. While we will miss them, we congratulate Carl on his well-deserved retirement and wish him all the best. “
Featured Local Businesses
Herrmann said Smithfield Street has been a wonderful home. One of the services that the business offers may remain — storage of furs, which is especially needed during the summer months. Customers pay a seasonal fee of $60 from March 1 to the end of February and their coats and accessories are kept in a climate-controlled vault.
Herrmann said someone has expressed interest in taking that over and he is happy to help with that transition.
“I didn’t want to just close the doors and leave,” Herrmann said. “It is important to say goodbye to these loyal customers. That will be part of this fourth-generation legacy. It is bittersweet.”
Carl W. Herrmann Furs is located at 634 Smithfield St., Downtown.
Details: 412-281-5528 or carlwherrmannfurs.com