During the 1950s and into the 1970s, many families shopped at Steins' Kiddies' World for toys, hobby items, baby and children's furniture, and more. Today's post follows the store's timeline and its founder, Louis J. Stein.
Louis J. Stein was born in Russia in 1898. His family immigrated to New York City when he was a child before relocating to Holyoke in 1916.
A review of Holyoke City Directories indicates the youthful beginnings of his entrepreneurial spirit. At age 19, the directory stated he worked as a pedlar.
During 1920 and 1921, he worked for his father at Max Stein & Son Automobile Exchange at 522 Main Street. The business bought and sold used vehicles, sold new and second-hand auto parts, and purchased scrap iron and other metals.
From 1926 to 1930, he operated Louis Stein Grocer at 147 Sargeant Street. In 1931, he moved on from the grocery and became a service station attendant.
From 1932-1950, Louis Stein owned a gas and oil service station at 358 Main Street on land purchased from Holyoke Water Power Company (HWP). Stein's Service Station was adjacent to additional land owned by HWP which would be the future home of Stein's Kiddies World.
Louis Stein purchased this land from HWP in 1949 (later addressed 370-392 Main Street). A building was constructed, and Stein's Outlet store opened for business. The outlet store sold, among other items, small appliances, clothing, and toys at bargain prices.
Stein's Toy Outlet followed in 1954, and in 1955 the name was changed to Stein's Kiddies World.
The store sold more than toys. This included bicycles, jungle gyms, slides, children's learning aids, baby and children's furniture, and outdoor picnic and patio furniture. Its ads aptly described it as "Holyoke's Only Outdoor Supermarket for Outdoor Furniture & Playthings."
In April 1955, Louis Stein's son-in-law, Hy Nozik, joined the business as President and General Manager. Mr. Nozik had ten years of experience in merchandising and retail.
In 1959, plans were announced that a second store would open at 352 High Street (HT-T Indicated 452 High St. in error), the site of the former Jacobson Brothers Department Store. This was short-lived as by May 1960, ads reflected only the Main Street location.
In 1972, Stein's Kiddies World moved to the South Street Shopping Plaza. About this time, another store was opened on Sumner Avenue in Springfield.
In May 1973, Hy Nozik announced that the Holyoke and Springfield stores would close. The reason cited was competition from major discount department stores.
In August 1973, an advertisement appeared showing a new store named "Younger Generation" would open in the South Street Shopping Plaza. This was operated by the Nozik family and featured children's clothing, toys, and children's furniture.
Source of news articles: Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript-Telegram; Publication dates are shown.
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