The pending closure of Dittrich Furs isn’t just the end of a family business that’s been in operation for more than a century. It’s one of the last gasps of a regional trade almost as old as Detroit itself.
Dittrich, Dittrich, since 1893; if you’re of a certain age, you probably sang that part.
“Since 1893,” however, means that the renowned furrier has been in business ten years before Henry Ford established his namesake car manufacturer and 15 years before the owner of Buick acquired Olds Motor Works under the newly established holding company known as General Motors. Detroit, incorporated in 1806, was fur city before the Motor City…