A new generation of ownership has begun for a historic Allentown tuxedo shop now that one of its employees has taken over.
Garret Persing became the new business and property owner of C.E. Roth Formal Wear at 202 N. 10th St. in Allentown in September. The business offers men’s clothing, suit and tuxedo rentals, dry cleaning services, clothing repairs and alterations.
Clarence E. Roth founded the business in 1904, eventually shifting to formal attire from his original hobby of making costumes for stage productions. Ownership passed on to Clarence’s son Charles and later to Charles’s daughter Heidi, who owned it with her husband Martin Semmel. Semmel died last year at age 71.
Persing, who is the former son-in-law of Heidi and Martin, began full-time at C.E. Roth in 2006 and previously worked as manager. He said he could see the stress of ownership taking its toll on Heidi and figured she could use a break.
“She still works here and … it’s time for her to come to work and not have all of the overhead stuff hanging over top of her head, where she can just come to work and do her job and go home and not worry about it anymore,” Persing said.
Persing said the new role comes with a lot of responsibility — he doesn’t want to be “the one that screws it up” — but he is also excited to be the new owner and wants to be a steward for the business. He acknowledged that it has great name recognition for people who have lived in the Lehigh Valley for years, but he also wants to strengthen the marketing like on social media for people who aren’t familiar with legacy brands like C.E. Roth.
“A lot of responsibility to keep the brand going, keep our customers happy as they have always been, keep our product quality high,” Persing said.
A big reason for C.E. Roth’s success, he added, is the staff.
“We can’t accomplish the volume of work that we need to on a weekly basis without our tremendous employees, so I would really like to give credit to them as well,” he said.
The store is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, noon to 7 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
C.E. Roth Formal Wear is seen here Friday, May 30, 2025, in Allentown. Martin Semmel, who co-owned the store with his wife, Heidi, for decades, died Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Lehigh Valley retail and restaurant news in brief
China House: The restaurant has apparently closed with its space cleared out and signage removed at Towne Center at 4783 Tilghman St. in South Whitehall Township.
Suds Car Wash: The 24/7 car wash announced its opening Monday at 423 Hanover Ave. in Allentown.
Ripper Vintage: The secondhand store announced its opening last month at 21 S. Second St. in Easton.
A-peel-ing Treats: The dessert shop announced its opening last weekend at the Trolley Barn Public Market in Quakertown, serving acai bowls, chocolate fruit cups and chocolate-covered bananas.
Mattie’s Strudel Haus: The strudel maker announced online it has left its location at the former Riverbend Community Church at 299 Industrial Drive in Upper Nazareth Township, focusing on delivery until it finds a new address. The Industrial Drive location is the same one where Mattie’s originally opened in 2017 and where it reopened in April.
“Stepping away from that space has given us a clean slate to carefully select a new location conducive to all the business needs in a safe place for you to buy the beloved strudels,” the business said in its announcement.
Bethlehem Coffee Co.: The cafe announced it opened Nov. 7 at 9 W. Fourth St. in Bethlehem. The online menu lists options such as coffee, lattes, hot chocolate and Red Bull refreshers.
Mo Chicken: The Nashville-style hot chicken restaurant announced its opening earlier this month at 233 Hamilton St. in Allentown, offering sandwiches, tenders, loaded fries, milkshakes and smoothies.
In other news
JuxtaHub kicked off its first residential artist holiday market Tuesday on the first floor gallery at 375 S. 10th St. in Emmaus, a Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce news release announced. It runs through Dec. 19 and offers paintings, matted watercolors, framed prints, handmade ornaments, pillows, accessories, greeting cards, stickers and magnets.
Grille 3501 will hold a 25th anniversary celebration at 6 p.m. Monday at 3501 Broadway in South Whitehall Township, featuring live music by Jon Fadem, memorabilia and a silent auction “of unique experiences, local favorites, and special packages.” Tickets are available online and proceeds will benefit the Justin Sheftel Memorial.
Retail Watch is a weekly column covering retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Have a question, tip, or want to see something in the area? Contact retail reporter Graysen Golter at retailwatch@mcall.com. Sign up for our weekly Retail Watch newsletter at mcall.com/retailwatchsignup.