Steinbach (store)

Steinbach

Company type	Private (historical)
Industry	Retail (Department stores)
Founded	1870
Founder	John, Henry, and Jacob Steinbach
Defunct	1999
Fate	Bankruptcy and liquidation
Headquarters	Asbury Park , United States
Area served	Northeastern United States
Parent	Supermarkets General Corporation (1960s–1986), Amcena Corporation (1986–1994), Schottenstein's (1994–1995), Crowley Milner and Company (1995–1999)

Steinbach was a department store chain headquartered in Asbury Park, New Jersey, operating across the northeastern United States. Established in 1870, it became part of Supermarkets General Corporation (SGC) during the 1960s and ultimately ceased operations in early 1999 following a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy filing.

History

The Steinbach brothers—John, Henry, and Jacob—launched the company in 1870 in Long Branch. Four years later, they expanded by opening a location in Asbury Park. During the early 1900s, Steinbach's gained a reputation as one of the largest department stores worldwide.

At one point, Steinbach was connected to the Kresge-Newark store located in downtown Newark. In the 1960s, ownership transferred to Supermarkets General Corporation, which maintained Steinbach as an independent entity. SGC also acquired the Howland chain based in Bridgeport, Connecticut—previously integrated with Genung's stores—and the two Goerke's department stores from Elizabeth, New Jersey. While Howland continued as a separate chain, Goerke's locations were absorbed into Steinbach and rebranded accordingly.

Throughout the 1970s, Steinbach opened three full-line branches within shopping malls along the expanding Jersey Shore market, including its largest store at the Shore Mall near Atlantic City. In 1976, a fourth mall outlet debuted at the Seaview Square Mall close to its original downtown Asbury Park store.

The Seaview Square branch was initially designed as Steinbach’s most upscale location, featuring a limited selection of departments compared to other stores. However, after closing the downtown Asbury Park store in 1979, Seaview Square expanded its offerings to include all departments previously available downtown. The Asbury Park store was destroyed by fire in 1989.

Ownership transitions

File:Howlands Department Store Logo.png

Howlands emblem

In 1978, SGC unified the two retail chains under the corporate identity Howland-Steinbach. Although both brands kept their original names, they were managed from a single administrative headquarters.

File:Howlands store, Pyramid Mall, Ithaca New York.jpg

A Howlands location in Ithaca, New York, circa 1987

In June 1986, SGC divested the chain to Amcena Corporation, a Netherlands-based company that also owned the New York City-centered Ohrbach's chain. In January 1987, Amcena shut down five Ohrbach's stores in the New York metropolitan area, refurbished them, and relaunched these outlets as Steinbach stores on March 12, 1987. Simultaneously, the parent company rebranded its entire network of 18 Howland stores under the Steinbach banner.

By 1994, American Retail Group (Amcena) decided to sell the chain, with Schottenstein's acquiring full ownership. The following year, Detroit-based Crowley Milner and Company purchased Steinbach; however, Schottenstein's retained several locations which it either converted into Value City stores or sold off.

Bankruptcy and liquidation

In 1999, the company filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11, which was later converted into a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Liquidation. The business was ultimately dissolved alongside Crowley Milner.

Flagship store

File:Steinbach flagship store closed.jpg

Steinbach flagship store following its 1979 closure

Steinbach had established itself as a prominent presence in Asbury Park since the late 1800s. By the early 1900s, plans were underway to construct a new flagship location on Cookman Avenue, promoted as "The world's largest resort department store." Originally, the structure featured five levels, spanning from the basement to the fourth floor. During the 1930s, a fifth floor and a clock tower were added to the building. As suburban development expanded in the northern New Jersey shore area, both Asbury Park and Steinbach emerged as central hubs. Despite the emergence of several nearby shopping plazas, the downtown Steinbach remained a favored destination until the July 1970 race riots negatively impacted the area’s reputation, leading to decreased shopper traffic. Changes in ownership also influenced Steinbach's trajectory. In 1978, its then-parent company, SGC, established a new consolidated headquarters for its department stores in White Plains, New York, resulting in over 100 job losses downtown and diminishing the significance of the downtown Steinbach location. Concurrently, SGC repositioned Steinbach as a chain focused more on value-oriented retail. Notably, this flagship and subsequent stores featured mahogany wood fixtures and display cases throughout.

In early 1979, it was declared that the downtown Steinbach would cease operations following a clearance sale, with closure effective July 14 of that year. Public access points were secured with padlocks and remaining window displays were boarded up. For several years afterward, Steinbach utilized the building for its maintenance personnel before ultimately vacating it completely. In the late 1980s, an arson incident caused extensive damage to the structure, leading to the removal of both the clock tower and fifth floor.

After acquiring the property in 2001, Sackman Enterprises announced on March 1, 2007 that the first unit among 63 apartments was available for lease after comprehensive renovations. The ground level now accommodates approximately 22,000 sq ft (2,000 m²) of retail space, while the four upper stories have been transformed into loft-style residential apartments.

See also

• Steinbach–Cookman Building, recognized on the National Register of Historic Places

External links

• Steinbach Building
• History of Asbury Park and the Boardwalk - asburyboardwalk.com
• The Steinbach building featured on side o' lamb