The Man Who Made Shopping Fun: The Life and Legacy of Albert Boscov

On February 10, 2017, Albert Boscov left this world as he had lived in it—sharing love. His final words to his wife, Eunice, were “Eunie, I love you,” capping nearly six decades of partnership. For many, this tender farewell summed up the character of a man who combined humor, creativity, and generosity into a lifetime of business success and community revitalization. Best remembered as the face of Boscov’s department stores, Albert was much more than a retailer: he was a showman, philanthropist, civic leader, and eternal optimist who believed that people and communities, if given a chance, could thrive.

Roots in a Peddler’s Dream

Albert was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1929, into the entrepreneurial household of Solomon and Ethel Boscov. His father, Solomon, had emigrated from Russia in 1911, starting life in America with virtually nothing. After working as a peddler, Solomon eventually founded Economy Shoe and Dry Goods at 9th and Pike Streets in Reading.

The store grew by knocking down walls between adjoining rowhouses, and Albert spent his boyhood working alongside his family. Stories from his youth reflect the playful ingenuity that later defined his career. One of his first “jobs” was catching flies for a penny apiece; he soon learned to reuse the same dead flies to multiply his pay. He once sold his friend’s toys on the porch to neighborhood kids. Mischief and enterprise were inseparable in Albert’s personality, and both would shape his adult endeavors.

A New Vision of Retail

After serving in the Korean War and graduating from Drexel University, Albert returned to the family business in the 1950s. By then, retail was shifting toward suburban malls and national chains. Rather than simply competing on price, Albert injected fun, flair, and community spirit into shopping.

His motto was simple: “Retail is recreation.”

To him, a store was more than a warehouse of merchandise. It was a stage for creativity, spectacle, and surprise. This philosophy gave rise to promotions that became legend:

• “Did You Boscov Today?” Contest (1970s): Customers who visited every day in April received free cookware. Albert expected a few hundred participants; 17,000 showed up. Soon, slogans like “I Could Have Boscoved All Night” appeared on buttons and bumper stickers. The word Boscov became a verb.
• Stunts and Spectacles: From parachuting Santas (one unfortunately broke his leg), to roller-skating chimps named Zippy, to make-believe takeovers by a hillbilly “Schultz family,” Albert constantly blurred the line between shopping and carnival.
• Community Inclusion: He staged festivals celebrating different cultures, like the Black Heritage Program in the 1960s, at a time when such efforts were rare and often controversial.

Shoppers returned not just for bargains, but because going to Boscov’s felt like an event.

A Leadership Style Like No Other

Albert was no distant executive. He thrived on the sales floor, in his cluttered station wagon, and in personal exchanges with employees and customers alike. Known for his humor and warmth, he once wore Mickey Mouse ears to a business meeting, crawled under a table to shake a hand, and frequently turned introductions into jokes.

He believed business was built on friendship and loyalty. Employees were treated like family, and many recalled how Albert would encourage, comfort, and even joke with them in the busiest of times. This loyalty was returned in kind—most memorably during the company’s 2008 bankruptcy crisis, when Albert’s tearful admission that he might lose “his name” was met with overwhelming support from his employees.

Reviving Reading

Perhaps Albert’s greatest legacy lies not in retail but in community renewal. At a time when many industrial cities declined, Albert threw himself into civic projects that sought to reimagine Reading, Pennsylvania.

• Our City Reading (2000): A nonprofit that revitalized blighted neighborhoods by renovating over 575 abandoned homes, helping first-time buyers build stability.
• GoggleWorks Center for the Arts (2005): Transforming an abandoned goggle factory into one of the nation’s largest community art centers.
• DoubleTree Hotel (2011): Spearheaded the hotel’s downtown construction, famously insisting on enlarging shower stalls by two inches for guest comfort—at a cost of $125,000. His reasoning: “If a big man isn’t comfortable, will he come back?”

Albert understood that strong cities need not only jobs but also pride, beauty, and reasons for people to gather. His projects gave Reading all three.

The Comeback of 2009

In 2008, Boscov’s declared bankruptcy, burdened by debt and expansion missteps. For most companies, this would have been the end. But Albert, then in his late seventies and officially retired, refused to let thousands of jobs and a family legacy disappear.

With tireless energy, he traveled county to county, lobbying for loans and investments, promising that the stores and their communities would endure. His personal credibility persuaded lenders, and with the help of family and supporters, he reacquired and revived the company. The feat was hailed as one of the great retail comebacks of its time.

A Legacy of Love and Joy

Albert Boscov’s life exemplified optimism, humor, and generosity. He believed in making life brighter—whether through a parade in the store, a rebuilt neighborhood, or simply a better shower stall in a hotel room. He left behind not just a family-owned retail chain, but a philosophy of living and working with heart.

To “Boscov” was to make something joyful, to believe in possibility, and to share kindness. That legacy remains alive in the stores, the city of Reading, and in the thousands of people touched by his imagination and love.