395. Part 2 of our interview with Hans Sternberg & James Shelledy. We Were Merchants. The words “Goudchaux’s / Maison Blanche” conjure up a wealth of fond memories for local shoppers.
At this landmark Louisiana department store, clerks greeted you by name; children received a nickel to buy a Coke and for every report-card A; families anticipated the holiday arrival of the beloved puppet Mr. Bingle almost as much as Santa; teenagers applied for their first job; and customers enjoyed interest-free charge accounts and personal assistance selecting attire and gifts for the most significant occasions in life—baptisms, funerals, and everything in between. In We Were Merchants, Hans Sternberg provides a captivating account of how his parents, Erich and Lea, fled from Nazi Germany to the United States, embraced their new home, and together with their children built Goudchaux’s into a Baton Rouge legend that eventually became Goudchaux’s / Maison Blanche — an independent retail force during the golden era of the department store and, by 1989, the largest family-owned department store in America.
Listen on iTunes.
Listen on Google Play.
Listen on Google Podcasts.
Listen on Spotify.
Listen on Stitcher.
Listen on TuneIn.
The Louisiana Anthology Home Page.
Like us on Facebook.