With so many big department stores going out of business or shutting stores today, such as Carson’s and Sears – I thought it was important to remember another big Chicago department store that went out of business long ago.
I very fondly remember Goldblatt’s Department Store in Chicago. We lived near the one on Kimball, Milwaukee and Diversey, but we also visited Goldblatt’s stores at Lincoln, Belmont and Ashland and Belmont and Central. I remember the bargain basement and the smell of food from the deli and snack shop, but I especially remember shopping with my mother and helping her with the “green stamps” books so we could get the discounts. Those childhood shopping trips with my mother were the most special times in my life.
Goldblatt’s was founded in 1914 by brothers Nate and Maurice Goldblatt. They were Polish immigrants that previously ran a grocery store on the West side of Chicago. The first Goldblatt’s store was located at the corner of Ashland and Chicago Avenue. In 1928 they incorporated. Goldblatt’s performed well, even during the Great Depression in the 1930s and purchased several smaller department stores.
Goldblatt’s opened their flagship store on State and Van Buren in 1936 and they started carrying more upscale products, appliances, a deli and snack shops. After it closed, the building was sold to DePaul University.
By the 1950s business started to slow down and the 1960s saw fierce competition from newer discount retailers, such as Kmart, Woolco, Zayre and Sears. The company filed for bakruptcy in 1981, but reopened in 1982 with six stores that would sell primarily to lower income shoppers. They remained in business until 2003, when the Goldblatt’s stores were closed for good and liquidated.
- Note: The second photo is mine. The rest are from Wikipedia.