Even More Steinbach Department Stores!
Last week, after I got all worked into a lather about that Steinbach photo that was sent to us by Michael Lisicky, he wrote me again, saying “You want Steinbach?” Boy, did he mean it.
He dumped this pile of old Steinbach shots on us, and we couldn’t be happier. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Michael guided us through each one:
The vacant downtown Asbury Park store, in 1984. It closed in 1979. The store burned in 1989 and lost its top floor and clock tower.
Steinbach in Red Bank, NJ. This was taken in February 1999 as it was preparing to close. It was 53,000 square feet. It became a Bon-Ton briefly before closing again.
The rear of the Red Bank store. The photo at the top of this post is the sign from the parking lot of this same store.
Steinbach at the Brick Plaza in Brick, NJ. Taken also in 1999. It opened in 1964. The store was the most profitable branch at the end of the chain’s existence and had just received a $1 million makeover.
Inside of the same store in Brick, NJ. This store also became a Bon-Ton and still is today.
This is a nighttime view of the Manalapan Mall location in NJ. In 1996 it became a Value City, along with the stores at the Shore Mall and the now-demolished Seaview Square Mall outside Asbury Park. This picture was taken in January 1995. It was located in a tiny, tiny mall that was active for most of its existence. It was the only anchor.
The last picture is of Michael’s old credit card, and a gift box from Steinbach from the mid-1980’s. At that time all boxes and bags named the store Howland-Steinbach. Howland was a store based out of Bridgeport, CT that was merged into Genung’s out of White Plains, NY. All of the small Steinbach’s in NY, CT and MA were former Howland stores. By the late 1990s all of those stores took on the Steinbach name. Though the store was named Steinbach those familiar with the Asbury Park area stores called them “Stein-BACK’s”. They were quite upper-moderate stores through the 1970s, but dropped off dramatically by the early 1980s. Former Ohrbach’s stores also became Steinbach in NJ and NY. Crowley-Milner from Detroit bought the stores in the mid-1990s but couldn’t keep them going. They all closed in 1999.
on April 28th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Wow, I forgot that Steinbach was Howland’s in Fairfield, CT. I think it closed for renovations for a short bit of time and then became Steinbach. Always a great deal there, I was sad to see it go. Fairfield was replaced by an Old Navy and a few smaller stores like The Gap and Marty’s Shoe Outlet.
on April 28th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
A big thank you to Caldor and Michael for this delightful post! However, I must say that it breaks my heart to see the former Asbury Park flagship in such terrible condition just five years after it closed. By the way, what was the cause of the fire that destroyed that building? Was it arson?
As an added bonus, here’s an incomplete list of former Steinbach locations, cut and pasted from wikipedia. Are any of you aware of any locations that are not on this list? I already know that this list does not mention the location in Waterford, CT at Waterfall Place.
Connecticut:
* Hamden - Hamden Mart Plaza (closed late 1990s, now Bon-Ton)
New Hampshire:
* Concord - Steeplegate Mall (opened 1990, closed 1999. Now Bon-Ton)
New Jersey:
* Asbury Park (closed in 1979, being developed as condos)
* Brick Township (now Bon-Ton)
* Egg Harbor - Shore Mall (opened 1974, now Value City)
* Elizabeth (former Georke’s, now Shoppers’ World)
* Manalapan - Manalapan Mall (now Value City; rest of mall torn down)
* Ocean - Seaview Square Mall (now Value City; rest of mall torn down)
* Paramus - Bergen Town Center (opened 1967 as Ohrbach’s, converted to Steinbach and then to Value City. Currently closed, to become Target)
* Plainfield (former Georke’s, now closed)
* Red Bank (later Bon-Ton, now closed)
* Wayne - Willowbrook Mall (former Ohrbach’s, now Lord & Taylor)
* Woodbridge - Woodbridge Center (former Ohrbach’s, now Lord & Taylor)
New York:
* Albany - Colonie Center (opened 1992, closed 1995, now Boscov’s)
* Cicero - Penn-Can Mall (opened 1988 in former Sears, closed 1994. Mall converted to an auto mall)
* Clifton Park - Clifton Park Center (opened 1991 in former Price Chopper, closed 1999, vacant)
* Cortlandt Manor - Cortlandt Towne Center (mall torn down)
* DeWitt - Shoppingtown Mall (opened 1991 on one level of former Addis & Dey’s, closed 1995. Both levels of former Addis & Dey’s are now Sears)
* Glens Falls - Northway Plaza (closed 1999)
* Ithaca - Pyramid Mall (Opened in 1976, Closed in 1986, now several storefronts and part of Regal Cinemas)
* Middletown - Galleria at Crystal Run (opened 1992, closed 1995, now Dick’s Sporting Goods)
* Newburgh - Newburgh Mall (opened 1980, closed 1999, now Old Navy)
* New Hartford - New Hartford Shopping Center
* Plattsburgh - Champlain Centre North (opened 1988, closed 1999, now Dick’s Sporting Goods)
* Saratoga - Wilton Mall (opened 1990, closed 1996, now Dick’s Sporting Goods)
* Syracuse - Carousel Center (opened 1990, closed 1996, now Circuit City)
* Utica - Riverside Mall (mall torn down, now a strip mall)
* Watertown - Salmon Run Mall (opened 1988, closed 1999, now Dick’s Sporting Goods)
Vermont:
* South Burlington - University Mall (opened 1992, closed 1999, now Bon-Ton)
on April 29th, 2007 at 12:17 am
An update on the Red Bank Steinbach: after the Bon-Ton closed, it has become the new location of Garmany, an upscale mens/womens store that was located next door. The old Garmany’s will now be subdivided and part of it will become a Tiffany and Company.
on April 29th, 2007 at 11:05 am
I wish a saved some of my charge receipts from the mid 1980s from Steinbach’s which listed all locations for Howland, Steinbach and also, let’s not forget its sister branch from Baltimore, Hochschild-Kohn. Many times you would see H-S-H on their price stickers. Hochschild’s was a major Baltimore player that fizzled out by 1984 and disappeared by 1986.
But locations that are missing from Wikipedia’s list off the top of my head include (as Howland)-
Massachusetts
Methuen-Methuen Mall
Saugus-New England Shopping Center (now Square One Mall)
Weymouth-Harborlight Mall
New York
Peekskill-Downtown (former Genung’s)
Tarrytown-Downtown (former Genung’s)
That’s all my 42 year old brain can remember. There were many more in New England, as Howland. (Don’t confuse the Bridgeport, CT-based Howland with Waterbury, CT-based Howland-Hughes which is actually still open in downtown Waterbury in a very strange way. For those department store junkies it’s worth a trip.)
The Concord, NH store was actually located in a small strip shopping center to the east of downtown before it moved to the mall. Maybe one day I’ll find a receipt and can correctly list all locations of Howland.
on April 29th, 2007 at 10:48 pm
Great pics, as always
Steinbach had a cool logo as well.
My old roommate’s sister worked at the Howland-Steinbach in Fairfield, Connecticut. I heard it was a great store, but I never got see one when it was open.
on April 30th, 2007 at 12:54 am
I remeber steinbach so much,I visited the manalapan and seaview mall stores alot back in the day one of my aunts worked at the seaview square store its taking me back
on May 9th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
I remember the one in Middletown and I was probably in the one in Newburgh as well. The Newburgh Mall is so rundown… but I think the Middletown galleria sucks too. I’ll drive to Paramus if I want good shopping.
on February 3rd, 2008 at 2:54 am
Thank you all for remembering Howland’s/Steinbach! I remember shopping at Howland’s in the Methuen Mall (MA) back in the late 70’s and early 80’s during my toddlerhood and childhood! My mom LOVED that store, and I remember when it went out of business. After it went out of business, we discovered Steinbach (probably something was sent to Howland’s cardholders stating that they could use their cards at Steinbach and listed locations) in Concord, NH. I remember we went to that first plaza location; it was a really nice store, and my parents bought me a very expensive winter coat and charged it on their Howland’s card. Steinbach never sent them a bill, so I got the coat free! Later, they moved to a mall, and again, it was a nice store. I haven’t been to Concord since 1997, and have learned from your site that they’re out of business… so sad
on May 6th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
My mom used to take me shopping in the Asbury Park store when I was a kid. Really nice old fashioned department store. They had them things that went ding dong to signal the sales staff. I remember running up and down the big staircase too. They don’t make them like that no more.