Erlebacher's was a high-fashion ladies specialty store that operated in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The location at 1222 F. Street, NW, opened on October 14, 1907, as G. Erlebacher. The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Gustav Erlbacher were buyers for the

Hecht Company Hecht's was an American department store chain founded in 1857 by Samuel Hecht, Jr. It was headquartered in Washington, D.C., and operated in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern United States. The family business was acquired by The May Department Stor ...

in Baltimore before opening the store in Washington. It was described as follows:

Opening - Tomorrow G. Erlebacher throws open the door of his handsome new store. We enter our bid for your favor, giving every assurance that it will be fully earned and eminently appreciated. Our stock consists of exclusive models in women's suits and gowns for afternoon and evening, dainty waists, smart tailor-made skirts, and fine furs. While the styles and goods are exclusive and of the highest class, we have made our prices well within reason, and offer you garments of distinct merit at figures that will be thoroughly appreciated.

In 1914, the store moved to 1210 F. Street, NW. Gustav Erlbacher died in 1924 and Mrs. Erlbacher remarried in 1934 to David Frank. In 1938, the Franks sold the store to Jules Winkelman. In 1949, Erlebacher's opened its store at 1133 Connecticut Avenue, NW, at the corner of Desales Street. The F Street location closed in 1953. The store changed hands in 1970, when Jacob Epstein Katz purchased it from Jules Winkelman. In 1971, Erlebacher's moved to a new location at 5512 Wisconsin Avenue in Friendship Heights, Maryland. Its former location was occupied by

Raleigh's Raleigh Haberdasher, more commonly called Raleigh's, was a high end, local men's and women's apparel store based in Washington, D.C. History The first store opened on February 16, 1911, at 1109 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, in the Raleigh Hotel. Mr. C ...

. The Friendship Heights location was innovative in that its were occupied by a number of boutique specialty stores including Jandel Furs, Pampillonia Jewelers, and I. Miller shoes. The location was also known as the Holiday Inn Plaza shopping mall. The store became nationally famous when

Jacqueline Bouvier Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular f ...

bought much of her trousseau there prior to her marriage to

John Fitzgerald Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

. In the early 1970s the store garnered widespread publicity by being featured in ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine for its innovative display, in the front store windows, of the ''Time'' portraits of famous first ladies and American women who had previously graced the pages of that magazine. This was the inspired brainstorm of then store owner Jacob E. (Buddy) Katz. Source: son of Jacob E. (Buddy) Katz In 1972, Erlebacher's was purchased by New York-based Sara Fredericks, Inc. The store closed in 1974."Erlebacher's Closing May Be Short-Lived", by Claudia Levy, ''The Washington Post'', June 6, 1974, pg. E1.

References

{{reflist, 34em Defunct companies based in Washington, D.C. Defunct department stores based in Washington, D.C. Retail companies established in 1907 Retail companies disestablished in 1974 1907 establishments in Washington, D.C. 1974 disestablishments in Washington, D.C. Women in Washington, D.C.