Hess’s Allentown, The Department Store That Became a Ghost Hess’s Allentown, Lehigh Valley department store, Allentown history, Bon-Ton bankruptcy, dead malls Pennsylvania, corporate retail collapse, Eastern PA nostalgia #Hess #Allentown #LehighValley #Pennsylvania #DeadMalls Hess’s was the heart of Allentown for over a century before corporate ownership erased it. The building still stands empty, a symbol of how local identity was lost to consolidation.