After 106 years, Zinman, furrier to Howard Eskin and Eagles stars, calls it quits

Zinman opened its doors in 1920, and its flagship store on the Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Pennsauken became a local landmark, embedding the company in the Philadelphia area for the next century.

But the legacy has come to an end. Zinman is closing for good on Tuesday after nearly 106 years in business, according to an announcement on the company website.

The company offered no explanation for the shutdown. Zinman’s recognizable building and manufacturing site in Pennsauken is up for sale.

Zinman initially catered to women, and business flourished as it expanded to multiple locations.

Zinman expanded its advertising in print, including The Inquirer, or aligned with local celebrities, such as disc jockeys at radio station WIP as early as the 1970s.

In 1974, Don Wade, a disc jockey at Philadelphia radio station WIBG, said over the air that “Zinman Furs are murderers” for promoting furs, according to an account by an outdoors columnist for the Morning-Sentinel of Maine. A U.S. District Court in Camden awarded Zinman $30,000 from a resulting libel suit.

Later, in a savvy marketing pivot, Zinman began courting male customers too, partnering with local celebrities.

Zinman teamed with sports radio personality Howard Eskin, who famously wore Zinman mink coats on the sidelines at Eagles games.

Players followed suit. Former Eagle Freddie Mitchell wore a Zinman fur at postgame news conferences. Brian Dawkins and A.J. Feeley donned furs from Zinman.

A Daily News columnist noted in 2004 that then-Eagles fullback Jon Ritchie, now a sports radio host, shopped there for a shearling coat — a fur garment made from sheepskin.

Zinman’s Furs opened in 1920 in Merchantville, Camden County, according to a 1987 story in the Courier-Post. It moved to Pennsauken in 1948.

The company, which later dropped the possessive, was founded by Harry Zinman and became Zinman Furs. It went through various ownership changes, some to family.

It was owned by Ernest Robbins from 1963 to 1979 and taken over by his daughter, Gail, according to an account in The Inquirer. In 2002, Philadelphia physician Corey K. Ruth became owner and rebranded the company, changing the name simply to Zinman.

Zinman Furs was one of the first furriers to advertise on radio, and became known nationally when it gave away furs on popular TV game shows such as The Price Is Right.

Under Ruth, it expanded from three locations to seven, including acquisitions of Lichtenstein Furs in Montgomeryville, Ott’s Furs in Malvern, and Zhivago in Northeast Philadelphia.

The company specialized not only in furs, such as mink, but sold leather and shearling outerwear and accessories, and offered services such as storage, cleaning, and repairs.

A woman working in the store Wednesday said she could not comment and said the owner was not present. She declined to give the owner’s name. An email to the company was not immediately returned.

The 24,500-square-foot building at 2901 Admiral Wilson Blvd. (Route 30) has been posted for sale through Adam Kohler at realty firm CBRE. The asking price is not disclosed on the CBRE website.

The building is zoned for commercial use and occupies a full block, with an extensive parking lot.

The listing says that 64,964 vehicles pass by daily at the property, which is near a traffic circle, once known as the Airport Circle, that connects the boulevard to U.S. 130, and State Route 38. The property includes an “income-generating billboard,” according to the listing.