from Wikipedia.org

Wieboldt Stores, Inc., also known as Wieboldt's, did business as a Chicago general retailer between 1883 and 1986. It was founded in 1883 by storekeeper William A. Wieboldt. The flagship location was located on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago.
In 1961 Wieboldt's enlarged itself by acquiring the failed Mandel Brothers store on State St as well as a smaller branch store in Lincoln Village
shopping center. Prior to that time there were five Chicago
neighborhood stores; Grand and Ashland, Milwaukee and Paulina, Lincoln
and Belmont, Halsted and 63rd St., and Ashland and Monroe.They also had
several suburban stores including locations in Evanston, Norridge, and
Oak Park IL. By the 1970s Wieboldt's operated over 15 stores in the Chicago area.
Promotions
Wieboldt's was known for giving S&H Green Stamps with purchases and had redemption centers located in their stores. The
State St. location included a large redemption center. Customers would
choose items based on the number of stamps turned in for redemption. In
the 1940s and 1950's they sponsored a radio program featuring Cinnamon Bear. Later they had a television program called The Cinnamon Bear. The shows were stories of how Cinnamon Bear takes his young friends on a trip to maybe land in search of the silver star. A stuffed teddy bear version could be purchased from the stores for $2.98 in the 1950s.
Santa would give out free Cinnamon Bear buttons to children visiting
Santa. The program was first produced by Glen Heisch and Elizabeth
Heisch in 1937 in Hollywood and syndicated around the country.
Wieboldt's was known for their good values, unpretentious
merchandise, and multilingual sales staff, the stores were especially
popular among ethnic, working-class shoppers who could not afford or
did not like to shop at the big downtown department stores. Wieboldt's
former slogan was "Where You Buy With Confidence!".
They celebrated 100-years in business in April 1983. An
advertisement in the Chicago Sun-Times stated "Building for a New
Tomorrow". "An important part of Chicago's past, we look to the future
with confidence and enthusiasm. The dream of yesterday is the promise
of tomorrow. Chicago, Wieboldt's. Tomorrow begins today."
During the 1980s the chain had trouble staying profitable, eventually leading the company into bankruptcy in 1987. The chain never recovered and all the stores closed.
My family shopped at the Lincoln-Belmont store.
I found my old photo taken with Santa it says Santa-Graf on it with Wieboldt's in green letters on the front.
I remember the S&H Green Stamps my mom collected those I got my first transistor radio with the stamps.

I think its interesting that stores like Wieboldt's, Goldblatts's, etc., especially appealed to the ethnics in the neighborhoods that felt intimidated or felt they couldn't afford the "big" stores downtown. Sort of a harbringer of things to come, when shoppers later traveled to suburban malls, rather than shop in the city.

This has nothing to do with shopping at subburban mall as opposed to the city, the whole chain went out of bussiness.

Great history on Wieboldts. I had not remembered that the store at Lincoln Village was initially a Mandel Bros operation, In the original LV configuration, Wieboldts was the largest store in the center. During recent years the entire mall has been completely redeveloped.The family took me to all their northside locations including Lincoln- Belmont and downtown Evanston.

MIKETOUHY Wrote:
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> This has nothing to do with shopping at subburban
> mall as opposed to the city, the whole chain went
> out of bussiness.

Looks like you didn't read my post very carefully....I didn't say that Wieboldt's when out of business because people started shopping in suburban malls, genius..

I said that way back when, the neighborhood shopping meccas, like Ashland/Milwaukee, Lincoln/Belmont, 63rd and Halsted, etc...provided an alternative for people who didn't care to travel downtown to shop, just as, in later years, the suburban shopping malls provided an alternative for people who didn't care to shop in the city.

My mother always liked Wieboldt's. They were the first store to give her a charge card with her name on it as opposed to Mrs. *******. When she got married and was changing her name on her other cards the other stores made her use Mrs.******. She used to shop at the 63rd & Halsted store. But I grew up shopping at the Ford City location. They also had a juniors dept before the small boutique stores started opening and before the other dept stores stated adding junior sizes to their selection. Before that I always had to try and find clothes in the kids dept as I was so tiny. I remember being in their record dept and seeing the Sgt Pepper's Album when it was first released and trying to decide if the rumors were true. And yes, the S&H stamps. I still have a few things around here that were obtained with stamps. In fact, I believe I still have a book of S&H stamps somewhere that I kept.

My folks frequented Wieboldt's; when we moved to the suburbs we would go to the Randhurst Mall location. I really enjoyed the candies from around the world that they sold and no store since has come close to the variety.

Sorry I did misunderstand.

Ford City would have been our closest one, but i remember going up to the Oak Park one a lot because we used to go up by my dad's UPS route along North ave to pick up his check. on the way home down Harlem we'd go in Wieboldt's and get chocolate sponge candy and swedish fish by the pound (the only ones that come close are Fannie May's). and then hot dogs at Parky's. those were the days.


btw i've heard a couple episodes of that "Cinnamon Bear" radio show. i love old-time radio, but man, did they suck. lots of organ music and an old hag who said "Bless my stuffing!" a lot.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2010 07:38PM by crowamonghens.

crowamonghens Wrote:
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> but man,
> did they suck. lots of organ music and an old hag
> who said "Bless my stuffing!" a lot.

LOL "bless my stuffing"????

Thank you so much, Liz, for the very interesting and informative post on Wieboldt's. My parents shopped at the store at Harlem Irving Plaza and my grandmother shopped at the State Street location. I still even have several books filled with S & H Green Stamps thanks to my mom.... she saved everything! I miss all those stores that I remember from my younger days such as Goldblatt's, Steinberg Baum, E. J. Korvette's, Turn Style, Zayre, Community and does anyone remember Polk Brothers? Thanks for the memories!

Thanks for the history, Liz.
Where was the Wieboldt's at Milwaukee and Paulina? I live in the neighborhood and none of the existing buildings have Wieboldt's engraved on the header stones (which you do see on the Lincoln store) - was it where the Jewel and Kmart are now?

Also, Wayout Wardell - in what years did you frequent the Wieboldt's at Randhurst? I worked there through high school, as soon as I was old enough to get a job, in the mid-1970s.

shekaago: of course i remember Polk Bros - but does anyone remember the plastic "Polk Bros Santas" they would give away at christmastime as a premium? just about every house in our neighborhood had one. also remember them giving out the "Wally Phillips People Book", which i still have. if it wasn't for Polk bros, i wouldn't be on this computer right now - it was the gateway to my lifelong love of electronics, as my dad always got me something cool for christmas there.

shekaago Wrote:
------
> everything! I miss all those stores that I
> remember from my younger days such as Goldblatt's,
> Steinberg Baum, E. J. Korvette's, Turn Style,
> Zayre, Community and does anyone remember Polk
> Brothers? Thanks for the memories!

I remember Polk Bros very well. They were hugely successful in appliance retailing with several stores. It was the kind of place where one didn't pay the tagged price and the sales people loved to offer deals. I recall going to their location in Skokie and at Diversey and Harlem.

I also have fond memories of Polk Bros, my dad used to buy all our electronics there. I remember my parents bought my first "boom box" at Polk Bros. I loved going there and play with all the electronics.

Like crowamonghens said it started my life long love for electronics, I'd rather go to Polk Bros then the toy store!

An old friend of mine worked at the Polk Bros. store on Central and Belmont in what she called the "cage" because she handled the cash and tills and was basically locked inside of it during her shift. I too bought my first serious radio at Polk's. A panasonic AM/FM/PSB radio. I still have it. I guess I take after my mom! And yes, I remember those Santas very well. But the Wally Phillips People Book.... now that's a collector's item!

There was another Polk Brothers on Belmont, farther east. Maybe near Paulina. Does that sound right? Shekkaago--Turn Style! totally forgot about that one. How about Shopper's World? There was one on McCormick between Lincoln and Devon that later became a Community or vice versa. Then it was a Zayre, now Home Depot. Chas. A. Stevens was another dept. store. It was at 17 North State Street. Here's a nice [url=http://www.patsabin.com/illinois/stevens.html]postcard[/url] with a group of stores.

http://francesarcher.com

Does anyone remember Steinberg-baums(sic). I remember my going there with my parents at christmas time to pick out christmas toys, but don't remember where it was.

Numerous locations, I went to the one on 63rd east of Pulaski. One time I read their ad in the Times and they had a case of windshield washer fluid for 25cents! Six gallons for a quarter sounded pretty good and the other ten or so people who beat me to the store that morning must have thought so too. We got it but I don't think the manager was too happy. BTW, it was Steinberg-Baum.

FranCarmen -- Thanks for the link to the postcard!
And yes, tseals, I remember Steinber Baum! There was one on North Harlem, I think, near Lawrence? Please correct me if I'm wrong anyone. And I know there was one on Cicero just north of Belmont and also one in Niles.