Baltimore’s back-to-school shoppers had choices

Baltimore shoppers had choices for back-to-school shopping in the days when there were four major department stores.

Hochschild Kohn, Hutzler’s, Stewart’s and Hecht’s were the flagships, but there was another level — the budget stores.

The E. J. Korvette chain arrived in Baltimore with branches on East Joppa Road, U.S. 40 West and Glen Burnie in the early 1960s, and brought discount prices.

This national chain competed with such Baltimore mainstays as Epstein’s, Goldenberg’s and Julius Gutman’s.

The Epstein chain dominated Baltimore’s neighborhood shopping districts — Light Street, Gay Street (later Oldtown Mall) and Highlandtown, and the Alameda.

Epstein’s counters were neatly arranged and there was no mistaking a price at this store. Each sales table had a sign held by a metal frame. Large red numerals stated the cost, while the bottom of the sign said, “Be wise, economize at Epstein’s.”

Downtown Baltimore’s Gutman’s, at Park and Lexington, was a classic department store, with rows of elevators and bells calling out codes for employees. It was a busy store, and the cash registers made a racket.

And as buyers stocked up on their school needs, they often paused by the popular 1950s-era 4-cent table. It was hard to resist ... a pack of pins, a new pencil and maybe a tape measure.