Anyone in DC/MD/VA area remember S. Klein's?

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DanniGirl
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Anyone in DC/MD/VA area remember S. Klein's?

Post by DanniGirl »

Does anyone from the DC Metropolitan area remember a store called S. Klein's? It was a (junior) department store, and the location I remember was at Beltway Plaza -- located on the end where Burlington, Marshall's and Target are currently located.

Does anyone know the history of S. Klein's, especially in the DC area?
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MikeRa
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Re: Anyone in DC/MD/VA area remember S. Klein's?

Post by MikeRa »

DanniGirl wrote:Does anyone from the DC Metropolitan area remember a store called S. Klein's? It was a (junior) department store, and the location I remember was at Beltway Plaza -- located on the end where Burlington, Marshall's and Target are currently located.

Does anyone know the history of S. Klein's, especially in the DC area?
I'm not sure of the DC area, but there was a S. Klein in Philadelphia, located at Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue. This location closed in 1975, and was replaced by John Wanamaker Department Store. This store is still open today as Macy's (John Wanamaker became Hecht's, then Strawbridge's, and finally Macy's)
umtrr-author
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Re: Anyone in DC/MD/VA area remember S. Klein's?

Post by umtrr-author »

S. Klein's was also in downtown Newark, New Jersey "on the square" (not sure which square). I believe this may have been their flagship store. The store was vacant for a long time after Klein's shut down.

There was a Klein's in Woodbridge, New Jersey as well, across US Route 1 from Woodbridge Center. It became a Service Merchandise.
rich
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Re: Anyone in DC/MD/VA area remember S. Klein's?

Post by rich »

The flagship was on Union Square in NYC, which also was home to the flagship for JW Mays, a store with similar appeal. They were a full-line store with furniture, etc., best known for their low priced clothing. They were a pioneer discounter going back to the 20s or 30s. Newark would have been an early branch. They also had a branch in Alexandria near Landmark.
DanniGirl
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Re: Anyone in DC/MD/VA area remember S. Klein's?

Post by DanniGirl »

Thanks, Rich. Actually, I believe there may have only been two S. Klein stores in the D.C. area -- Alexandria, VA and Greenbelt, MD.
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Re: Anyone in DC/MD/VA area remember S. Klein's?

Post by bobsjers »

If you look online, there are some interesting stories behind S. Klein. I remember the one in Alexandria, Virginia. The last reminder of the store, a 6 story neon sign was torn down last year in Newark NJ.
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Re: Anyone in DC/MD/VA area remember S. Klein's?

Post by umtrr-author »

I did... and I see the (now former) sign in Newark, New Jersey.

Wikipedia notes that "On The Square" refers to "Square Deals" not necessarily the store's location (i.e. the anchor store in Union Square in New York, you're right about that, Rich).
Bobo
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Re: Anyone in DC/MD/VA area remember S. Klein's?

Post by Bobo »

I worked part time and summers in the late 1960's at the S. Klein's in the Beltway Plaza location in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA. It was a part time weekend and full time summer job while I was in high school and college. Klein's was at the east end of the mall where a large Target, Burlington Coat Factory and CVS pharmacy are today (2024).

The employee only entrance was in the rear (North side) of the store, where there was a break/lunch room with vending machines.

I started as a cashier assigned to their Garden Center, located on the east side of the building where the CVS is now located. After several months at that assignment, I volunteered to fill an opening helping customers and such in the Garden Center. The Garden Center was run by a man named Paul Halstead, who had a degree in Horticulture from a college in the northeast US. He was a good boss to work for, and he knew his stuff, both administratively and horticulturally. He made the Garden Center into one of the best businesses of its type in the Washington, DC metro area. I helped customers make plant selections, suggested landscaping plants and designs, helped unload trucks bringing in inventory and for a while was the O.M Scott lawn expert in residence.

The Garden Center had three main areas: a large greenhouse that stocked and sold indoor plants and also made and sold floral arrangements, a large outdoor area stocked with all manner of shrubs, plants and trees, and an indoor sales area where customers could find garden tools, fertilizers, seeds, wheelbarrows. lawn mowers and such. In the late fall and winter, this indoor area was transformed into a kind of Christmas wonderland where artificial trees, tree lighting and ornaments were sold.

One of the more memorable events took place when the entire store had a big store-wide promotional to attract customers. On the large, broad sidewalk in front of the store, a temporary stage was erected, a sound system and Disc Jockey brought in, and a team of go-go dancers were hired to perform there, My best friend at the time worked as the store announcer, and he acted as a kind of "barker" to pull the customers in. During a break in the dancing actions, my friend got to talking with the go-go dancers. My friend was particularly smitten by one of them, whose name was Goldie Hawn. Yes, she is the one who grew up into becoming a two-time Oscar nominee and one time Oscar winner (Best Supporting Actress in 1970.) Her mother ran a dancing school in the Washington, DC area, and she was the one hired by Klein's to provide the dancers.

At the end of the day, the dancers departed and my friend failed to score a date with Ms Hawn, despite earnest attempts.
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