L is for Lodge's, Albany's oldest department store

Lodge’s, or more formally, B. Lodge & Co., was founded in downtown Albany, NY in 1867, a couple years after the end of the American Civil War. When I stopped working downtown, and our office moved out to Corporate (frickin’) Woods in 2006, one of the things I wrote was that I would miss is that eclectic department store, and I did.

It is the place where one can find school uniforms and medical scrubs. One Yelp review notes: “They mainly sell the essentials here, nothing particularly fancy, ” and that is quite true. Another writes: “The staff is almost unerringly helpful and knowledgeable.” And the prices are quite reasonable.

A 2009 piece in All Over Albany described the place as “eclectic” and that’s certainly the case. It’s open Monday – Saturday, 8:50 a.m. to 5:25 p.m. – who DOES that? – and is closed Sundays.

You can read its extensive history here, but basically, it has been at four different locations, all but one on North Pearl Street, changing as a result of business expansions or a devastating 1952 fire, after which it moved to its current location at 75 N. Pearl.

The Lodges sold the business in 1960 to the Ginsburgs. Jack and Elaine Yonally bought it in 1995; as of 2011, it’s now owned by their children, Mark Yonally and Sharon Freddoso.

The December 2017 Times Union article about the store notes: “Lodge’s does not sell any items online, does not have a business Instagram or Twitter account and first added a website several years ago.” It does have a Facebook page.

Now that I’ve been back working downtown since 2015, I’m happy to be able to shop at Lodge’s again. It’s usually on Tuesdays, since they give a senior citizen discount then. Mark and Sharon and some of their other employees know me by sight, if not by name.

I’ve purchased shirts, pants, socks, a belt, winter gloves, and cheap sunglasses in the past few months. As someone who loathes shopping generally, it’s my favorite place to buy clothes.

I have to think that Barrington Lodge and his two sons, Charles and William, would be pleased that their family business has celebrated its sesquicentennial.

For ABC Wednesday

Author: Roger

I'm a librarian. I hear music, even when it's not being played. I used to work at a comic book store, and it still informs my life. I won once on JEOPARDY! - ditto. View all posts by Roger

8 thoughts on “L is for Lodge’s, Albany’s oldest department store”

Little by little they are all gone and we will be back to catalog shopping 🙂

My ABC WEDNESDAY

Just the name “Corporate Woods” gives me hives. The one I’m most familiar with is in Overland Park, Kansas, and sprawls over 29 buildings you can barely see from Interstate 435.

The Lodge is definitely more inviting than Corporate Woods:):) Yeah, that’s kind of early to close! But on the countryside several stores are closed on Sundays and holidays – this big city slicker is getting used to it!

That is so helpful to find all under one roof.
Happy ABCW!

It’s always the familiarity and the comfort that counts.
Shopkeepers remember good customers 🙂
Can understand your love for Lodge’s, Roger!

The world is changing…nothing new about that but I wish one should be more aware of the ‘wealth’ in historie they destroy by making everything new and removing the old

Have a splendid, ♥-warming ABC-Wednes-day / -week
♫ M e l ☺ d y ♪ (ABC-W-team)
http://melodymusic.nl/22-l

It reminds me of J.C. Penney when I was a kid. Gosh, I wish we had stores like that again. Just the basics, sir. And a small counter of fabric. Okay, and buttons.