After already having had a successful Hudson's men & boys' clothing store in Detroit and the Hudson Motor Company, Joseph L. Hudson opened his department store on Woodward in 1911. Tragically, he would never know the degree of its success. The next year, in 1912, he died from pneumonia that he contracted while visiting England. He had no children, so the business passed to his four Webber nephews. They were up to the task, and they made Hudson's a resounding success.

In 1963, Hudson's great-nephew, J.L. Hudson Jr. took over the reins, but by the mid-1960's downtown Detroit had begun to change in ways that were not good for Hudson's. A store clerk was murdered in the store in 1966, and the Detroit riots occurred downtown in 1967. People became afraid to go downtown to shop, and Hudson's sales began to suffer. The store tried to compensate by closing departments and reducing services, but people's shopping habits had changed and were not quick to change back. In 1983, Hudson's closed its downtown Detroit store.

Recipes on my site:

JL Hudson Butterscotch Biscuits
J.L. Hudson's Cheese Bread
Chicken Pot Pie
JL Hudson's Chocolate Layer Cake
JL Hudson's Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Maurice Salad Dressing

These are links to J.L. Hudson recipes or copycats: