In the 1890s, Blauvelt’s in Hightstown sold silks, velvets, and buttons to local shoppers at bargain prices. This store specialized in millinery and dress trimmings. By 1900, the H. King clothing store occupied a prominent corner at Market and Halsey streets in Newark. During this same era, J. Summerson’s Handy Department Store in Blackwood provided home delivery for goods purchased at his shop.
New Jersey retail expanded quickly in the early 20th century. Samuel Paster opened his store in Bayonne in 1916. A massive crowd gathered in Plainfield in 1917 for the grand opening of the S.S. Kresge 5 & 10 Store on West Front Street. In 1922, Gianquitti’s store in Bernardsville operated as a family business with the owner’s son and a small staff. Sears, Roebuck & Co. entered the Camden market in 1927 with a new store located on Bridge Boulevard.
During the 1930s and 1940s, general stores and variety shops offered specialized items. Edmund Einsiedel ran a general store in Egg Harbor City where he sold pottery fired in his own kiln. J. Heinz’s store in Audubon featured a counter dedicated to assorted candy in the early 1940s. Ackerson’s store in Newton maintained a ladies’ department where large textile samples hung from the ceiling for customers to view.
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The 1950s saw the rise of large department stores and organized shopping centers. Sidney and Herbert Hubschman opened a 2 Guys from Harrison store in Lodi. In 1954, shoppers in Woodbury visited F.W. Woolworth’s and S.S. Kresge’s, which sat side-by-side between Curtis Avenue and Centre Street. Newberry’s in Red Bank featured a toy department stocked with Golden Books and Plasticville construction sets. The Middletown Shopping Center opened in November 1957 with a massive parking lot for 1,400 cars.
In the 1960s, Betty Nametko ran Betty’s Department Store on a busy corner in Wharton. The Bergen Department Store served residents in Hasbrouck Heights during this same decade. Sally’s on Main Street in Manasquan offered designer dresses and high-end accessories. Levittmark in Willingboro operated a furniture showroom that also stocked specific replacement parts for the homes in the local Levittown development. On August 21, 1974, the Woolco department store held its grand opening at the Village Mall in Willingboro to serve the growing suburban population
