Back to School With Kline's – August 1956

The thought of having to go back to school in the fall might be fairly upsetting to some kids – even a little scary. 

But 'a little scary' could also be applied to the freakish 'teacher' shown in the ad below for Klines department store, which ran in the Lorain Journal back on August 2, 1956.

With a globe for a head, a chalkboard for a torso, and a variety of pointy objects (including a pen nib, and two pencils) for appendages, this teacher/monster is the thing of nightmares.

And then there's the pupils.

The scanning of the Journal's microfilm no doubt played havoc with some of the images in the ad. The digitization of the illustration of the schoolchildren (which originally had a screen tint applied to their faces by the artist) has created an odd, disturbing effect of making them look like the Batman villain Two-Face. Ugh!

And lastly (and for the final cheap laugh here), although the kids are merely raising their hands hoping to be called on by their mutant instructor, the little boy appears to be giving a salute that would be right at home in the Third Reich. 

Anyways, the gimmick in the ad was that a lucky boy or girl could win a portable Columbia 3-speed phonograph just by coming in and registering.

Here's a '1956 Columbia Portable Record Player Suitcase' (as it is described) that can be found on eBay right now. It needs to be repaired (it's missing its cartridge and stylus) or can be used for parts. I don't know if it's the one mentioned in the ad, but – it could be.

We had something like this in the Brady household in the early/mid-1960s. I know it was portable because I remember we had it out in the garage one time. There might have been an illustration or design on the cover, rather than just a solid color.

I also remember some of the records we played on it were yellow, not black; now I know that they were Golden Records. Other records included some Christmas carols such as Oh Come All Ye Faithful.

Kline's Mothers Day Ad – May 5, 1955

Mother's Day is this Sunday. For those of you lucky enough to still have your mothers, are you done shopping yet?

Seventy years ago, Kline's (the department store where my Grandma Brady worked most of her adult life) ran this nearly full-page ad (below) in the Lorain Journal of May 5, 1955, with gift ideas.

It's fascinating in that it captures what women bought back then: seasonal blouses, slips, nylons, gloves, dusters (?) etc. In a society now that is much more casual than it was in 1955, most of these items simply are not part of a woman's wardrobe any more (I'm assuming).

The duster reference intrigued and amused me. My older brother Ken had a Plymouth Duster for a while. But I had to look up what a duster was when it came to clothing. It turns out that it was a house dress. I remember that Grandma Brady and Grandma Esterle (her step-mom) wore them a lot, seemingly in the most of the old photos we have of them. Maybe they bought them from Kline's.

Finally, I had to chuckle at the slogan at the top of the ad: REMEMBER MOTHER... she never forgets. Isn't that usually used in references to elephants?

I'm not sure as it is used here if it is supposed to appeal to your heart (Mom would never forget you) or if it's a threat (Mom would never forget if you got her a crummy gift – or no gift at all).

Kline’s Christmas Ad – Dec. 9, 1971

The 1970s were a time of change in the style of the ads that appeared in newspapers, especially those created by their art departments. The availability of modern clip art done in a loose style resulted in a shift away from the old-fashioned style of illustration and more towards anything that seemed new and different.

Thus you had an ad like the one above for Kline’s, a mainstay store in Downtown Lorain for more than sixty years. It’s an unusual looking ad, with Santa depicted as an amorphous blob all for the sake of making room for text. Kline’s was a chain, however, and it’s possible that the ad was created by its own agency or in-house art department.

Quite a difference from the Santa in this ad for Kline’s from 1956.

Anyway, it’s hard to believe that approximately three years after the Dec. 1971 ad ran in the Journal that it would be announced that Kline’s would be closing its Lorain store.

Kline’s – 1959 Happy New Year Ad

Here’s one final Happy New Year-themed ad to finish out the week. It’s for Kline’s, one of the mainstays of Downtown Lorain for 61 years.

This ad makes me feel sentimental.

For one thing, Kline’s was important to my family. Grandma Brady supported herself by working there as a sales clerk for decades, becoming good friends with the store manager (Ben Weintraub) and his wife. The Weintraubs were very good to her and our family.

I’ve written a lot about Kline’s on this blog. I did a multi-part series on the store’s history beginning (here). I wrote about the store’s unique Sixth Street entrance (here) as well as the whole Gould block (here). And there are a few posts featuring various Kline’s ads (such as these Christmas ones) as well.

Memories of Kline’s still persist in our family. Over the recent holidays, my mother remembered that for one Christmas, Grandma Brady had brought home a huge roll of wrapping paper from Kline's for my parents. Mom laughed as she recalled that Dad wrapped every single present going under the Brady tree with that same wrapping paper.

Anyway, the ad also makes me feel sentimental because I was born in 1959. It seems like a long time ago.

Lorain's First Baby of 1958 Ads

Back in the 1950s and 60s, it was a big deal to be the first baby born in Lorain in the New Year. The Lorain Journal would feature a photo of the proud mother and baby, and a variety of Lorain businesses would shower the baby with gifts.

My older brother Ken was Lorain's first baby of 1958, and as expected, a photo of Mom and him ran on the front page. The Lorain Journal even wrote a follow-up story (with pictures) about him a year later, contrasting his development as an infant with the many changes that took place around the world that year.

I remember as a kid thinking that Ken was indeed a celebrity in Lorain.

Recently I went back to the Journal microfilm archives to checkout some of the other hullaballoo surrounding Ken's birth. I found a whole spread of congratulatory ads sponsored by a variety of local companies, most indicating that they had donated a special gift to the lucky newborn.

The ads – some personalized with Ken's name – all ran on Jan. 7th. The collection below is only a sampling of some of the goodies he received!

30 quarts of milk from Ideal Dairies is a pretty nice gift (below), although I don't think it wasn't enough for my parents to switch their loyalty from Home Dairy, their regular choice.

It's appropriate that Kline's participated in the "first baby" contest – Grandma Brady worked there for almost her entire adult career. The store weighed in on the festivities with a free nursery scale.

While most of the gifts had something to do with caring for the new baby, at least one company – Harry's Men's & Boy's Wear – had a gift for Dear Old Dad (below).

Even old Reddy Kilowatt had a gift for Ken (below)!

The strangest congratulations came from Schwartz Home For Funerals (below)! No gift, though!

Kline's Sixth Street Entrance Then & Now

To finally close out my series on Kline's, here's a nifty photo (above) from December 1969 showing Kline's Sixth Street entrance. It sure is unique how the Gould Block wraps around the other building.

My mother says she used Kline's Sixth Street entrance more often than the Broadway entrance, since she usually parked on Sixth Street. If you remember from Part 4 of this blog history, the store's Sixth Street entrance was apparently closed for some time and was reopened in 1955. It sounds like the modern sign was added at that time, according to the article.

And here's the corresponding view from today (below).

It's no wonder so much of Downtown Lorain looks so strange to me these days. With the passing of so many decades since its heyday, and the many aesthetic changes made to buildings, it's hard for me to remember what businesses occupied the many empty storefronts.

History of Kline's - Part 6

March 5, 1975 ad

Although it was announced on January 28, 1975 that Kline's Department Store would close in 90 days, it didn't stay open quite that long.

The day after the announcement, the store ran an ad in the newspaper announcing its once-a-year spectacular "Good Old Fashioned Bargain Bee Event," with no mention of the store closing in its ad. But by the beginning of March, the store was advertising savings of up to 80% on remaining merchandise.

Finally, on March 10, a letter from Edward Kline to the people of Lorain (below) appeared in the Journal.

And on March 14, 1975, Lorain's Kline's store closed for good. It was indeed the end of an era. That same day, the below ad ran in the paper.

Downtown Lorain would never be the same.

The closed store in the 1970s

History of Kline's - Part 5

Kline's carried on in Lorain right through the 1960s and into the 1970s. But on January 28, 1975, the sad article at left appeared near the bottom of page 3 of that day's Lorain Journal.

Here's the text of the article by Mark Ellis, Staff Writer (below).

****

Lorain Was First in Chain
Kline's Department Store To Close After 62 Years

By MARK ELLIS
Staff Writer

KLINE'S DEPARTMENT store, a downtown Lorain business landmark since 1913, will close its doors in 90 days.

Kline's managment announced the decision yesterday to 34 employes.

The Lorain store was the first in a national chain which now includes 25 stores based in New York City.

Kline's assistant manager, Brian Sekardi, said the store is closing "because we incurred too many losses."

Ever since the Mall opened, we haven't been able to recover. We haven't been able to generate the traffic. We hoped to be able to recover (from the Mall's opening) in two years. It's been nine years.

"The store's sentimental to us. It's the very first our chain had. We've discussed closing it numerous times. We didn't want to close this store."

SEKARDI SAID Kline's management is trying to place employes in other stores in the area.

"We had an unusual amount of longevity here. I've got nine girls who have been here 10 years or longer. We have a loyal employe structure."

Sekardi said there will be no "big give - away sales" at the 610 Broadway store in its last days.

The store was opened here by Jacob and George Kline. It enjoyed success under the 37 year direction of civic leader B.B. Weintraub who left in 1963. Charles Coulson ran the store from 1963 until July, 1974 when Paul Schlobohn took over. He was unavailable for comment today.

The store underwent a major remodeling in 1963.

History of Kline's - Part 4

Kline's – 1955

It was 1955 when Kline's celebrated the 42nd anniversary of its Lorain store by enlarging and remodeling it.

Here's the story explaining it all, which ran on September 22, 1955 in the Lorain Journal. The article includes a listing of some of the longtime employees (including my grandmother), and also provides a description of the store's layout, which I'm sure is familiar to many of you who shopped there.

The story contains one statement that doesn't ring true, however. It implies that the 1924 Lorain tornado was the reason for the store's 1928 move to more spacious quarters. As Part 2 of this blog's series on Kline's explained, the popular store needed more space.

(By the way, the day before I typed up this post, the spouse and I were watching some DVDs of past season Mad Men episodes. In one episode, a secretary made reference to shopping at Kline's (in New York City). I wonder how much of the show's audience had ever heard of Kline's?)

****

Official Opening Tomorrow, Saturday
Kline's To Celebrate Anniversary

Kline's department store, 610 Broadway, will celebrate the 42nd anniversary of its founding in Lorain and the official opening of its newly enlarged and remodeled store Friday and Saturday.

H. B. WEINTRAUB, manager of the store for many years, invites the public to see the gleaming, new, modern store front on Broadway and new look throughout the interior.

Weintrab, a member of the Lorain school board and a leader in civic, welfare and social activities for a number of years, said:

"The shoppers have got to see our store and walk through it to appreciate the money, time and effort expended to make it one of the finest appearing and most convenient to shop in."

The original Kline store was founded in Lorain in 1913. It was located in the Victory Building, 710 Broadway, until after the tornado on June 28, 1924, when it moved to its present location.

THE COMPANY, headed by Jacob Kline, of New York City, now operates branch stores in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and Iowa. Three other stores in Ohio are in Marion, Dover and Newark.

Extensive improvements of the Lorain store include spacious new aluminum entrance doors on Broadway, addition of a new touch to the Sixth Street entrance, moving of the center stairway on the main floor to the right of the main entrance and the enlargement of the fashion departments.

THE SIXTH STREET entrance, closed in the past, has been opened to serve shoppers who park their cars in side street parking areas.

The men's and boy's departments have been combined on the main floor and a new shoe department is now located on the downstairs floor instead of on the main floor.

The fashion departments in the rear of the main floor have been greatly enlarged to facilitate a more attractive showing of larger selections of coats, suits, dresses and furs. The Boy and Girl Scout headquarters have been rearranged on the downstairs floor.

The women's sportswear department had been enlarged in the center of the main floor.

Weintraub said the infants' and girls' wear departments are located in spacious quarters on the downstairs floor where there are attractive displays in apparel selections for tots to teens.

THE CURTAIN and drapery department has been completely modernized and there is a larger and more complete selection of blankets, bed spreads, table coverings, linen and yard goods in store for shoppers.

The extension of the main floor six feet beyond the old front line and moving of the center stairway has increased the size of the store by more than 600 square feet.

Long time employes, departments they head and years of service follow:

LELA CALDWELL, main aisle, 26; John Tomka, men's wear, 25; Freda Brady, domestics, 25; Clarice Manning, coats, suits and furs, 21; Regina Donahue, shoes, 19; Mabel Kennington, infants' and children's wear, 19; Eva Washtak, lingerie and foundations, 15; Rita Novak, dresses, 14.

The Kline department store main office is in New York City where the firm maintains its own staff of alert buyers and stylists. Executive vice president is Edward Kline, of New York City.

Warehouses and shipping facilities are located in New York City and Joliet, Ill.

THE KLINE ORGANIZATION has opened three new stores during the last year and has steadlily improved and modernized existing operations.

Weintraub was named "Man of the Year" in 1940 and 1950. He is a past president of the Lions, Lorain Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Retail Merchants Association and the Lorain Community Chest.

He has been active for many years in the Boy Scouts of America, fund raising efforts of St. Joseph Hospital, work among the blind in Lorain county and numerous other projects.

History of Kline's - Part 3

Here's a sampling of Kline's ads through the years. (Click on each of them for a larger version.) It's interesting watching how the ads changed, and how the logo evolved.

Here's one (below) from the year the store opened in Lorain. It ran on Friday, November 7, 1913 in The Lorain Times-Herald. It's the oldest ad that I was able to find on microfilm for 1913 and may very well be the ad introducing Lorain shoppers to Kline's.

November 7, 1913 ad

This 1928 ad (below) appeared in The Lorain Times-Herald on November 12, a few days before the new store opened at Broadway and Sixth. It's a nice statement of the Kline's business philosophy.

November 12, 1928 ad

This two page spread (below) ran two days later, the day before the new store opened at Broadway and Sixth. As you can see, the store carried an incredible variety of items.

November 14, 1928 ad

Here's a neat Founders Day ad (below) that ran in the newspaper on May 24, 1935. It celebrated the 61st anniversary of the business.

May 24, 1935 newspaper ad

Jumping ahead to the 1940s, here's a 1947 ad (below) that ran in the Lorain Journal. It's amazing how different and modern the ads looked by then. 

May 2, 1947 ad

The 1947 Lorain City Directory ad (below) stated the store's motto very simply.

Here's a Valentine's Day-themed ad from 1956 that seems pretty racy (below)!

February 10, 1956 ad

Here's one (below) that's a little more conservative, from May 1959.

May 1959 ad

Here's one from 1964 (below).  

June 1964 ad

And here's an ad from the end of Kline's days in Lorain – the year it closed: 1975 (below). 

January 1975 ad

History of Kline's - Part 2

Here's an article (below) about the background history of Kline's new home in the brand new Gould Block.

It appeared in the Wednesday, November 14, 1928 edition of The Lorain Times-Herald. The above drawing was featured in the same edition.

GOULD BUILDING CONSTRUCTED AT COST OF $175,000

Work Started Last May Now Practically Completed

Out of the ruins of a disastrous fire has risen a new building at Sixth-st and Broadway. It will be dedicated, figuratively, Thursday with the entrance of Kline Brothers store, a store for years one of Lorain's largest.

The new Gould building is the successor to the old Gould Block which was destroyed March 3, 1928 when fire razed the building for more than ten hours. Damage at that time was estimated at more than $500,000 including contents. It was a three story structure and all that remained after the smoke had cleared and the ice had melted from the watered debris was a pile of jumbled girders and wreckage – a pile of junk. Twenty-eight business firms were out a home and sought new quarters. Documents were gone and business had to start anew.

Early in May steam shovels started removing the debris and way was made for a new building. Now it is completed and a building costing more than $175,000 stands as a memorial to the staunchness and faith in Lorain held by Joseph Gould, 3455 East Erie-av the owner who saw his building stricken by fire.

The ground upon which the throne of achievement stands has been valued at $275,00. It is one of the most valuable pieces of Broadway property and stands in the heart of the business district of Lorain. The property has a frontage of 107 feet in Broadway and 60 feet in Sixth-st. It has a depth of 134 feet, back to the alley. A small corner of the block is taken up by the Lorain Banking company which suffered a loss of $65,000 in the blaze.

Gould's new building is of most modern construction and has one of the lowest fire insurance rates in the city because of its resistance to fire, according to the owner.

It is a two story-basement type of steel, concrete and terra cotta build. The front alone is terra cotta, a white stone construction. Floors have been made of concrete and composition. The building is entirely fireproof.

Not more than two or three store rooms will occupy the new building on the first floor. Kline's will take up space both on Broadway and Sixth-st. The new concern will be alloted more than 19,000 square feet of space on the first floor in addition to a selling basement.

Nineteen office 'suites,' entirely up-to-date, will occupy the second story. More than half of these are now rented according to the owner. Each office will have an 11-foor ceiling and will be equipped with hot and cold water and gas. Rolling copper screens will be supplied on every window. Every wire running to the building has been concealed in the walls. This includes phone and electric wiring. Even telephones have base plugs.

A new vapor system operated by two large boilers in a section of the basement will furnish heat to tenants.

Although Kline's enter the building and open to the public Thursday, the building will not be entirely complete for some time.

Shortly after the fire Gould returned all rent payments to tenants. They had paid for the month and three days later the building burned to the ground.

****

Here's another article (below) from the same newspaper describing the Kline's store itself.

KLINE BROS. NEW STORE MODERN IN EVERY WAY

Basement First and Second Floors Will Be Utilized

One of the most modern and completely equipped department stores in the county is the boast of Klines for their new store which opens Thursday in the Gould Block Broadway at Sixth-st.

Housed in a fire-proof building of concrete and steel construction, which was erected to replace the old Century Building, destroyed by fire last spring, the Kline store now has much more floor space and other advantages over the old quarters, according to H. S. Kolbert, manager.

The first floor of the store will be taken up with ready-to-wear clothing for men, women and children. It includes coats, dresses, millinery, hosiery, underwear and other articles of clothing for women and young girls, and all types of clothing and furnishing for men and boys, it was announced.

The offices and executive department of the store will be located in spacious quarters on the mezzanine floor at the rear of the store.

In the basement will be located the shoe department, and quarters for rugs, linoleum, beds, bedding, drapes, and other articles. The basement also will contain the storage room and stock room of the store.

The new store is finished throughout in golden oak and all new fixtures of the most modern type have been installed. A new lighting system, which is expected to make the store as light as day at all times.

In addition to all new fixtures, the entire stock of the store will be new, Kolbert said. There will be no stock brought over from the old store, he declared. A force of 60 employees will be used.

The new Kline store has four entrances – two in Broadway and two in Sixth-st. Large island display windows have been erected in the two Broadway entrances. Another feature of the new store is the automatic change conveyor, which has been installed.

Next: A calvacade of Kline's ads through the years

History of Kline's - Part 1

Kline's original Lorain store
(courtesy Black River Historical Society)

As I mentioned yesterday, the Kline's Department Store in Lorain was not only part of a national chain, but was the very first store in the chain (outside of its Pennsylvania and East Coast roots).

The Lorain store opened in 1913 and was originally located at 710 Broadway (see photo at left).

I was unable to determine the exact date that the store opened, but the earliest ad that I was able to locate ran in The Lorain Times-Herald on Friday, November 7, 1913. The boxed ad (which was all type with no illustrations) explained that since there were 17 Kline's stores, they bought in large quantities and thus were able to give their customers the full benefit of that buying power. A typeset list of items for sale and prices followed.

After more than a decade at 710 Broadway, the popular store moved to more spacious quarters at 610 - 614 Broadway in November 1928.

Here's an article (below) that appeared in The Lorain Times Herald at the time of that 1928 move that explains the history of the company.

****

FIRST KLINE BROS STORE OPENED IN PHILADELPHIA 54 YEARS AGO
Now, Great Chain Including Lorain Department Store, Reaches From Coast to Coast

The first Kline Brothers' store was opened more than 54 years ago in Philadelphia, and since that time, the organization has grown by leaps and bounds until now it ranks among the biggest and best department stores in the country.

Little did Herman Kline think when he opened that store in Philadelphia in 1874 that it would be the first of a mighty chain reaching from the East Coast to the Mississippi river.

Soon after opening the store in Philadelphia, Kline was greeted with the happy realization that it was a huge success, and a short time later, stores were opened in Allentown, Reading, Altoona and Faston, Pa., and all were successful from the start.

The business was then taken over by his four sons – Nathan, Ignatz, Henry and Charles, who further contributed to the growth of the chain and many stores were added throughout the eastern states.

The third generation of Klines, the present proprietor opened their first western store in Lorain at 710 Broadway. Since the opening of the Lorain unit in the big chain of stores, 26 new stores have been added throughout middle west in the states of Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. New stores are constantly being added to the chain.

There is also a decided contrast in the buying facilities of the first Kline store and the great chain of Kline department stores of today. The founder purchased in small quantities when he made his seasonal trips to New York and other markets.

1928 Logo

Today Klines maintain New York offices in spacious quarters. Here a large efficient staff of skilled buyers are constantly combing the markets of the world for merchandise to supply the needs of thousands of Kline patrons.

Klines today have a tremendous buying power, running into millions of dollars annually. They buy direct from mill and manufacturer, eliminating the middleman's profit, it is said.

Many officials of the Kline company in addition to store managers will be in Lorain Thursday for the formal opening of the new store. Among them will be Jacob Kline, William Katzinger, general district manager; Larry Hersch, general merchandise manager; William Rivits and Fred Miller of the shoe department, and scores of Kline store managers from all sections of the country.

Remember Kline's?

Kline's Department Store, December 1969

Kline's Department Store.

The very mention of its name evokes memories of a Lorain of a different age, a time before the coming of Midway Mall, when people shopped Downtown for almost everything they needed.

I never realized that Kline's was part of a national chain; I always thought it was entirely a local store. But with the many longtime employees, as well as the personalized service that every shopper received, it might as well have been a family-owned store.

I'm sure every Lorainite over 50 remembers Kline's, or has some fond memory of the store.

Kline's meant a lot to my family. Grandma Brady was a sales clerk there for thirty years, and was a good friend of the manager – Ben Weintraub – and his wife. Grandma's best friend – Mrs. Kennington – also worked there as a sales clerk.

My parents both had a Kline's connection as well. Dad worked there in his teens as a stockman, and Mom worked there while she was in high school.

Of course, Mom shopped there too. Kline's was one of the stops during the weekly excursions to Downtown Lorain for our trumpet lessons in the 1960s. I remember that while shopping there, we would go downstairs, and say hello to some of Grandma Brady's old work friends.

Anyway, please stop back here next time as I begin a series on the history of Kline's in Lorain.

Kline's New Year's Eve Ad 1956

I posted some Kline's Christmas-themed ads in this space a few days ago. Well, here's a New Year's Eve version that ran in the Lorain Journal on New Year's Eve, 1956. (Click on it for a larger version.)

By George, it looks like the same illustrator who drew Baby New Year in the Driscol Music ad from yesterday. The unsung artist sure was very good at his craft. The artwork of Baby New Year and Father Time has a lot of heart.

The ad copy is bright and encouraging as well – sentiments that we sure do need for 2013.

Merry Christmas from Kline's

Here's three Christmas-themed vintage ads for Kline's, the well-remembered Downtown Lorain department store.

The first ad (below), a playful one promoting Berkshire stockings, ran in the Lorain Journal on December 20, 1955.

The second ad (below) dates from December 24, 1956 and features a very Disneyesque Santa Claus.

And lastly, here's one from late December 1961 (below).

Look for my special series about the history of Kline's shortly after the holidays!

1958 Kline's Dept. Store Easter Ad

Keeping the Easter 1958 theme going, here's an ad from April 2, 1958 that appeared in the Lorain Journal. It's for the well-known Kline's Department Store and features more great rabbit clip art.

I'm sure most old-time Lorainites remember shopping at Kline's, and I'll be giving the store the proper historical treatment here in the blog in the coming months. My grandmother worked there for decades, so I want to do it up right!