Mary Sachs Trust Scholarship

Mary Sachs (1888-1960) was known as the “Merchant Princess.” She immigrated to the United States from Lithuania, and she settled in Harrisburg around 1916. Mary came to the United States with her mother and two sisters. Five more siblings were later born here.
Growing up as a Jewish kid she went to the auditorium at the Jewish Community Center on Front Street various times a week. This favorite spot would later be near the location where Mary opened her own store on North Third Street.
The Mary Sachs Store, an apparel store, opened in Harrisburg on Sept. 6, 1918. The store grossed over $200,000 in sales during its first year, and then Lancaster and Reading locations soon followed. She employed over 200 people, and her women’s apparel stores expanded to include the following: men’s clothing, children’s clothing, a home goods section, a paper shop and a candy shop.
Sachs’ respect extended beyond her customers as well. Important public figures such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Mamie Eisenhower were both loyal customers and friends of Mary Sachs.