Detroit’s Oldest Business to Close After 132 Years as Family Retires

Dittrich Furs will shut down on April 30. The shop has operated in Detroit for 132 years, as per the Detroit Metro-Times. Fifth-generation owners announced Saturday they plan to retire and attend to family health matters.

"After much reflection, the Dittrich family has made the decision to retire and focus on the health and well-being of our family," the business said in a statement on social media. "This decision marks the closing of a remarkable era, one filled with relationships, traditions, and memories we will always cherish," they added, as shared by Detroit Metro-Times.

The shop sits at 7373 Third Street. It holds the title of Detroit's oldest privately held business. Emil Dittrich founded the company on Feb. 21, 1893. He was a furrier from London who opened a small wholesale shop on Witherall near Trapper's Alley.

The business relocated multiple times across the decades. It moved to the Fisher Arcade on Woodward Avenue before heading to Grand River in 1928. The store arrived at its current Third Avenue spot in 1965. According to the website, it houses one of the largest fur collections in the United States.

The company gained recognition around the city for its television commercial. It featured a woman riding a horse. Comedy Central's show Detroiters spoofed the advertisement.

Owners will hold a retirement liquidation sale before shuttering. More than 3,000 items valued over $9 million will go on sale at 70 percent off. These represent the lowest prices the business has offered.

"We are profoundly grateful for the loyalty, trust, and friendship you have shown us over these many decades," the statement said, as per the official Dittrich Furs website. "Serving this community has been our esteemed privilege, and Dittrich Furs will forever remain a part of Detroit's history because of you."

This announcement ends a business that served Southeast Michigan for more than a century. The store provided fur and other natural material fashions, along with craftsmanship and personal service, throughout its years in operation.