Steinbach (store)

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Steinbach was a department store chain based in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Beginnings

Steinbach was founded in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and maintained branch stores along the New Jersey Shore, and in the central part of New Jersey. The firm was at one time affiliated with the Kresge-Newark department store in downtown Newark. In the 1960s the chain was purchased by Supermarkets General Corporation (SGC), and continued to operate as a stand alone company. SGC also purchased the Howland chain in Bridgeport Connecticut, and the 2 store Georke's department store based in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Howland also continued to run as a stand alone chain, while the Goerke's stores became part of the Steinbach chain, and in turn were rebranded Steinbach. In the 1970s the chain opened 3 large full line branches at Mall locations along the growing Jersey Shore, including the firms largest, a unit at the Shore Mall near Atlantic City. In 1976 a fourth mall location was opened at the Seaview Square Mall, near its downtown Asbury Park store.

The Seaview Square location was opened as the firm's most upscale store, and a number of departments where not part of the merchandise mix, this changed when the ailing downtown Asbury Park location was closed in 1979, and Seaview Square was modified to include all departments that where carried downtown.

[edit] Ownership changes

In the late 1970s, SGC merged the two chains together under the corporate name, Howland-Steinbach. Each group of stores retained their original name, but were operated by a single corporate office. SGC sold the chain the 1980s to Dutch based Amcena Corporation, the owners of the NYC based Ohrbach's chain.

Amcena in turn converted most of its Ohrbach's stores to Steinbach stores. The parent company also converted all of the former Howland stores to the Steinbach nameplate, and closed the former Ohrbach's flagship location in NYC. By the late 1980s, Amcena opted to sell the chain, Value City purchased some of the stores, and Detroit based Crowley Milner and Company purchased some others. The chain was liquidated with the rest of Crowley Milner in 1999.

[edit] Former locations

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[edit] Connecticut

[edit] Massachusetts

[edit] New Hampshire

[edit] New Jersey

[edit] New York

[edit] Vermont

[edit] Historic Steinbach Flagship Building

Steinbach had been a fixture in Asbury Park since the late 1800's, and by the turn of the century a new all in one flagship store was planned and built on Cookman Avenue. This grand building initially contained 5 floors, (basement level through 4th floor) and by the 1930's a 5th floor and clock tower was added making this landmark even more impressive. As the Northern sections of the NJ Shore started to suburbanize, Asbury Park and Steinbach became a focal point. The downtown Steinbach remained popular even after several nearby shopping centers opened, but the race riots during July of 1970 cast a shawdow over downtown, and shoppers started to avoid the area. Ownership changes also affected Steinbach, and in 1978 it's parent company, SGC, opened a new consolidated office building in White Plains, New York to serve as the Headquarters for it's department store holdings. This cost downtown over one hundred jobs, and diminished the role of the downtown building. SGC also refocused Steinbach as a more value oriented chain, and by late 1978 only the downtown store maintained an in-store dining room, The Garden Grill.

In the Spring of 1979 it was announced that the downtown Steinbach would close after a liquidation sale. Saturday July 14, 1979 was the stores last day of business and it closed at 5:30 PM for the final time. The public entrances were padlocked and the remaining display windows were covered in plywood. Steinbach continued to use the building as a base for its maintenance staff for a few years and then it sat empty. In the late 1980's an arson fire almost destroyed the building and did result in the removal of the clock tower and 5th floor.

On March 1, 2007, the company that purchased the building, Sackman Enterprises, announced that the first of 63 apartments are ready for rent. This after a total rehabilitation of the historic building.

The ground floor contains 22,000 sq feet of retail space. The four floors above are unique loft-style apartments. The major tenant who will opening in May of 2007 is Old Man Rafferty's - a bar and grill.

Local merchants and politicians look at the Steinbach as the last link to reopening the downtown, as many new merchants flocked to the once boarded up section of the city. By: David Dorfman, asburyboardwalk.com See the links below for more information.

[edit] Links