Lil Gottlieb & Ron Gottlieb
If you had the chance to step into Lil’s Dress Shop, you were stepping into a community built by my mother, Lil Gottlieb.
From the early 1960s to the 2000s, she ran one of the only women-owned businesses in the male-dominated Broad Street Market area of Harrisburg. This November, she would have turned 100.
Her children’s clothing store wasn’t just a place to buy a dress; it was a place of connection. Lil didn’t just sell clothes—she offered an extra pair of socks, a hair ribbon, a small gift (a tchotchke) and a warm hug. The selling space was small, no more than 700 square feet, and her business motto was simple and effective: “Stack it high and let it fly.”
In an era defined by a male-dominated business community, Lil thrived alongside neighbors like Greenberg’s, Irving’s Shoes, Bill’s 5&10 Furniture, the Army Navy Store, A.J. Lehrman and Sons, Joe the Motorist, Penn Photo and Alsedeks. These men, the owners of all the businesses beside Lil’s, were kind and generous to her, respecting her as a fellow business owner. You knew who you did business with, in those years.
When our father passed away far too early, my mother became a single parent, but her hard work never wavered. She built our future, putting my brother, Alan, and me through college without the need for a single student loan.
A master of connection, my mother was a human LinkedIn and Facebook who never touched a computer. I watched firsthand as she treated people from all backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses with equal respect. She was extraordinarily open-minded for the time period. These lessons have inspired my own life. which is why I have been drawn to service in nonprofit organizations for so many years.
I learned the meaning of hard work by helping her “schlepping” bolts of material as a young boy. When big box stores came along, they drove many small Midtown businesses into the suburbs. They, like e-commerce today, offered conveniences like parking or delivery, and promises of lower prices. However, they could never replace the value of community, hard work, and the personal touch that can only be built face-to-face in your own neighborhood.
That was the foundation of my mother’s business. I saw how she created a business based on trust and relationships—something big box stores and e-commerce could never replicate.
Her legacy is a reminder of all this.
Ron Gottlieb is a native of Uptown Harrisburg and a 1972 graduate of Susquehanna Township High School. He now lives in the Phoenix area.
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