Klaus Department Store


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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: Grayhulk (---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: March 11, 2012 10:05PM

Does anyone remember the name of the Dept.Store on the SW corner of 26th street and Central Park? Down stairs was a small Bohemian resturant.Very small they served the best meatloaf and pork,dumplings and sauerkraut.They were more of a takeout place,they only had 5 of them old fashion round screw up stools.Now this is back in the long ago.I was brought up in that area from 1953-1968 then moved to Cicero.I use to remember when we went there they would pack the food in the white Chinese containers.But they had great food.I have never found meatloaf like that anyplace so far,still serching !!!

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: Grayhulk (---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: March 12, 2012 12:11AM

Sorry I said the dept.store was on the S/W corner it's on the S/E corner of 26th and Central Park.

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: abe24 (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: March 12, 2012 12:31AM

I also grew up on 26th and can't remember what use to be there. I know it is now La Chiquita supermarket. I'm almost sure BerwynFrank will come to the rescue on this one.

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: daveg (---.lightspeed.joltil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: March 12, 2012 10:07AM

I think it was named Lurie Brothers. Grew up a few blocks away. Attended BA and walked by 26th and Central Park every school day.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/2012 10:15AM by daveg.

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: Grayhulk (---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: March 12, 2012 11:03AM

Thats what I thought thats where Lurie Bros.was.But someone said that Lurie Brothers was on 26th and Drake.And I living on 28th and Central Park and going to Blessed Agnes I would know where Lurie Bros. was.I also remember next to Lurie Bros.was a pet store where we use to get our canary's and tropical fish.

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: daveg (130.36.62.---)
Date: March 12, 2012 11:41AM

Grayhulk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thats what I thought thats where Lurie
> Bros.was.But someone said that Lurie Brothers was
> on 26th and Drake.And I living on 28th and Central
> Park and going to Blessed Agnes I would know where
> Lurie Bros. was.I also remember next to Lurie
> Bros.was a pet store where we use to get our
> canary's and tropical fish.

How about a compromise. It was between Drake and Cental Park.

I recall geting haircuts at Lurie Brothers and I think they had one of those X-ray machines in their shoe department, which we thought was cool and used it even when we weren't there to buy shoes. No wonder my feet glow at times. ;-)

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: richard t dobrowolski (---.public.wayport.net)
Date: June 14, 2012 06:54PM

I just foud a "GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY" KLAUS dept store,brass horse shoe , key chain fob.it celebrates the 1906/1956 period it has a 1956 (D) wheat penny pressed into it. On the other side it says "Keep me an you will have good luck" Its on a chain with an old fashion skate key Will send to highest bider please get in touch with me at tinley554@yahoo.com

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: janusfanning (---.lv.lv.cox.net)
Date: September 15, 2012 02:33PM

Hi...Sure have been enjoying reading the comments about Klaus Department Store. As a teenager, I worked there in the Woman's Sportswear section through High School and College. The Manager of Klaus was Mr. Mikuta, I don't know if he owned it or not, but I invited him to my wedding and I still have the lovely platter he gave me. The manager of the Woman's Sportswear section was Lillian Franks and I worked with 2 older, Polish ladies, Lucille Price and Ester Dudek. It was a wonderful place to work. I dated the son of the man who owned the Shoe section at the north end of the store. I worked with a beautiful young Mexican girl, Leticia D LaGarza who became my best friend and "sister". She married a friend of my husband. They moved to Albuquerque, MN. Before I worked at Klaus, I worked at the Woolworth's on the corner. I worked at first at the luncheon counter, but then they moved me to the little food station by the front door to make pizza and hoagies. I remember Goldblatt's very well and the popcorn stand under the staircase. Such memories...I am talking about 1964 to about 1971. Also I remember the wonderful Venlinnies (sp?), the Polish delis that were north on Milwaukee, what wonderful tastes and smells. And I remember getting all of my fancy dresses at Kaufman's on the corner of Diversey and Milwaukee. Thanks everyone for the walk down memory lane. I moved from Chicago to Wisconsin and now reside in Nevada.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/2012 11:29AM by janusfanning.

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: Lance Grey (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: September 15, 2012 04:53PM

Wow! Thanks all, for painting a picture of the floor plan & vacinity! B)

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: WayOutWardell (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: September 15, 2012 05:30PM

Here's a photo looking south towards Diversey from about Woodard St, where you can see a billboard for the Klaus store:

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/29821940@N00/7989283259/]Diversey, Kimball & Milwaukee, 1963[/url]

My older cousins lived at St. Louis and Schubert until about 1981, and I remember tagging along with them to the Woolworth's and a Ben Franklin across Kimball; it seems like that Gap store has been there forever, too.

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: daveg (---.lightspeed.joltil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: September 16, 2012 11:12AM

janusfanning - wonderful story. Thanks for posting.

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: fleurblue (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: October 14, 2012 01:54AM

The interesting entry of janusfanning made me think of some other great stores within walking distance of Klaus.

I worked at Kaufman's part-time in high school. It was a beautiful store on the corner of Diversey, Kimball and Milwaukee. I worked in the business office in the basement at the time of the excavation below Kimball for the subway extension. The train was to make its turn underground just around Kaufman's.

We heard constant drilling and pounding and as it turned out, Kaufman's closed soon after.

Other stores near Klaus that offered great quality merchandise were Caplan's, Kogens and Palace Drapery.

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: janusfanning (---.lv.lv.cox.net)
Date: October 14, 2012 11:48AM

thanks for adding to the "story" fleublue...where did you go to HS? I went to Kelvyn Park

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: fleurblue (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: October 14, 2012 04:48PM

janusfanning, I went to Alvernia High School.

I saw you mention a lady named Ester Dudek who worked at Klaus. I knew a Dudek family from our parish (St. Wenceslaus). My mom was friends with a Helen Dudek. Maybe the same family.

I also remember a tall blonde lady who worked in the cosmetics dept. at Klaus. She was always so nice to my cousin and me when we came in to buy Heaven Scent, Golden Autumn, etc. With our teenage obsession with makeup and perfume, we probably saw this salesperson more than any other

I still have gold and silver bracelets that my parents bought in the jewelry dept. Very nice quality.

Do you remember that they had teller cages where patrons could pay their gas, electric, and lay-away bills? That was always part of our trip when I went to Klaus with my mom. Great services.

I have family members who moved from Chicago to Wisconsin and then to Las Vegas and Phoenix.

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: janusfanning (---.lv.lv.cox.net)
Date: October 14, 2012 06:30PM

fluerblue...email me at janusfanning@yahoo.com, it will be a little easier to communicate...
Jan

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: jalessi (---.wi.res.rr.com)
Date: February 11, 2015 01:18AM

Klaus Department Store had several locations. One of them was a huge store in Belvidere IL.

Klaus was purchased and run by Goodmans in the early 70's until they closed down.

They had awesome toys in the basement (Milwaukee ave store), I worked there part time as a kid.

Jeff...

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Re: Klaus Department Store
Posted by: jerimiah37 (---.sd.sd.cox.net)
Date: February 12, 2015 07:23PM

I remember going to the barber shop in the basement. They had several barbers, but my mother always wanted Andy to cut my hair. Another thing I remember is getting shoes at Klaus. They used to have an X-Ray machine, which would show how the shoe fit. There were three viewers. The person getting the shoes would look through one, your parent would look through another, and the shoe salesman would look through the other. The salesman would be able to use a pointer to show how well the shoe fit. I wonder if any of the salesmen ever got cancer from the exposure to the X-Rays.

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