[heights_yankee]

A woman on my neighborhood forum said the "For Lease" sign was down and it looked like someone was doing some work inside...

Any info from you wise folks?

[plumber2]

That's really sad. I remember family shopping at Kaplans. All of my clothes came from the men & boys dept. Yes, I was dressed as a nerd. I remember Abe Goldstein fitting me in shirts and pants all the way up to when I got married. My wife did not understand my fascination for the place so we eventually stopped shopping there. My grandmother was one of their oldest customers. In fact Herman Kaplan attended her funeral. Another Houston institution fades away...............

[Heights2Bastrop]

There were two guys I remember in the Men’s Department – a short, sorta paunchy, balding man, and a tall, thin gentleman. I think Abe was the shorter man, but I’m not sure now. And what was the other one’s name?

Kaplan’s paid their employees a good salary, but not commission. That’s why they took their time with you and make sure you were fitted properly.

I talked the grandson (Marvin?) before the store closed. He was actually pretty bitter about the closing, and especially by the lack of customers. He also seemed to not be interested in my reminiscing about past days.

He made some comment to me that if all those who came in “for old time’s sake” had come in more often, them maybe they wouldn’t be closing their doors. I felt insulted and ended the conversation right there.

I later heard from others that Kaplan’s extended their closing by taking in surpluses from other stores and selling them. Mom even found some clothes with a Chico’s label inside.

Bottom line was that, at the end, I didn’t feel all that sad by the closing as I might have been.

[sunsetHeightsOwner]

Heights2Bastrop, on Thursday, February 1st, 2007 @ 8:25pm, said:

There were two guys I remember in the Men's Department – a short, sorta paunchy, balding man, and a tall, thin gentleman. I think Abe was the shorter man, but I'm not sure now. And what was the other one's name?

Kaplan's paid their employees a good salary, but not commission. That's why they took their time with you and make sure you were fitted properly.

I talked the grandson (Marvin?) before the store closed. He was actually pretty bitter about the closing, and especially by the lack of customers. He also seemed to not be interested in my reminiscing about past days.

He made some comment to me that if all those who came in "for old time's sake" had come in more often, them maybe they wouldn't be closing their doors. I felt insulted and ended the conversation right there.

I later heard from others that Kaplan's extended their closing by taking in surpluses from other stores and selling them. Mom even found some clothes with a Chico's label inside.

Bottom line was that, at the end, I didn't feel all that sad by the closing as I might have been.

This is the big problem in the Heights. There needs to be a balance struck between the businesses and the residents. I am 26 years-old. I own a bungalow in the sunset heights and want all of the heights neightborhoods to remain historic and to retain that small town feel. I believe that as heights area residents that we should support our local businesses. On the other hand, the old businesses need to change and update to cater to the younger residents. If they stay the same, they will retain their older clientele and will begin to not make any money, being that most of their older clintele will be, if are not already, on a fixed income. I require different things than say a 60 or 70 year-old. This un-struck balance is the reason there is so much empty commercial real estate in the area. This is also the reason that the younger residents have to drive to the other side of the freeway to go to target and the river oaks shopping center area to get the things that we require. Change can occur while being respectful to your history and architecture.

[heights_yankee]

sunsetHeightsOwner, on Sunday, February 4th, 2007 @ 11:54am, said:

This is the big problem in the Heights. There needs to be a balance struck between the businesses and the residents. I am 26 years-old. I own a bungalow in the sunset heights and want all of the heights neightborhoods to remain historic and to retain that small town feel. I believe that as heights area residents that we should support our local businesses. On the other hand, the old businesses need to change and update to cater to the younger residents. If they stay the same, they will retain their older clientele and will begin to not make any money, being that most of their older clintele will be, if are not already, on a fixed income. I require different things than say a 60 or 70 year-old. This un-struck balance is the reason there is so much empty commercial real estate in the area. This is also the reason that the younger residents have to drive to the other side of the freeway to go to target and the river oaks shopping center area to get the things that we require. Change can occur while being respectful to your history and architecture.

There are a lot of great stores that carry things much more suited to the newer Heights residents. In fact, I would hardly say any of the boutiques on 19th cater to the older set. I am only 34 and much of their merchandise is too youngish for me! Harold's is a little old school but my husband still finds plenty of ties to spend money on there...

[Vertigo58]

Heights2Bastrop, on Thursday, February 1st, 2007 @ 8:25pm, said:

There were two guys I remember in the Men's Department – a short, sorta paunchy, balding man, and a tall, thin gentleman. I think Abe was the shorter man, but I'm not sure now. And what was the other one's name?

Kaplan's paid their employees a good salary, but not commission. That's why they took their time with you and make sure you were fitted properly.

I talked the grandson (Marvin?) before the store closed. He was actually pretty bitter about the closing, and especially by the lack of customers. He also seemed to not be interested in my reminiscing about past days.

He made some comment to me that if all those who came in "for old time's sake" had come in more often, them maybe they wouldn't be closing their doors. I felt insulted and ended the conversation right there.

I later heard from others that Kaplan's extended their closing by taking in surpluses from other stores and selling them. Mom even found some clothes with a Chico's label inside.

Bottom line was that, at the end, I didn't feel all that sad by the closing as I might have been.

I recall we had 2-3 ex-employees from Kaplan's come in to look for new employment. My coworkers and I (Worksource) tried to help them as much as possible. We were surprised to see how much they didnt know on how to market themselves. Blessed their hearts. They did not have to search for a job in decades and they had no typing/computer skills at all. We almost had to hold their hands through the simplest of details. It seemed as if they were from somewhere way, way back in the past. These are the kind of folks that have the hardest time accepting the now. Bet its the same ones you met.

[west20th]

Vertigo58, on Friday, February 9th, 2007 @ 10:38am, said:

I recall we had 2-3 ex-employees from Kaplan's come in to look for new employment. My coworkers and I (Worksource) tried to help them as much as possible. We were surprised to see how much they didnt know on how to market themselves. Blessed their hearts. They did not have to search for a job in decades and they had no typing/computer skills at all. We almost had to hold their hands through the simplest of details. It seemed as if they were from somewhere way, way back in the past. These are the kind of folks that have the hardest time accepting the now. Bet its the same ones you met.

That's really sad. It's too bad KBH couldn't hang on a bit longer. I would think they'd be a good fit for Harold's maybe?

[mkultra25]

Heights2Bastrop, on Thursday, February 1st, 2007 @ 6:25pm, said:

I talked the grandson (Marvin?) before the store closed. He was actually pretty bitter about the closing, and especially by the lack of customers. He also seemed to not be interested in my reminiscing about past days.

He made some comment to me that if all those who came in “for old time’s sake” had come in more often, them maybe they wouldn’t be closing their doors. I felt insulted and ended the conversation right there.

That would be Martin Kaplan. My wife and I became semi-regular customers at Kaplan's after we moved into the Near Northside area about 7 years ago, but I have to admit that we were frequently among the youngest patrons in the store, and we're not all that young anymore. I never saw Martin be anything but friendly and helpful, but I wouldn't begrudge him at least a little bit of bitterness at having to close a store that had been in his family for so long. It must have been a little galling to have the store suddenly packed with bargain-seekers as soon as you announce the closing and cut the prices on the merchandise; for what it's worth, during the final days of Cactus Music, I heard more than a few employees express similar sentiments to whoever happened to be in earshot, albeit in somewhat coarser terms than the genteel Mr. Kaplan used.

[Porchman]

Looks like it's going to be rental apartments

*Fence is up around the building, and there's a sign for a demo company tacked to it
*Martin Kaplan sold the property to Retreat at the Heights, LTD last year
*Retreat at the Heights registered agent is Tim L. Myers, managing partner of Allied Realty Services http://www.alliedrealty.com/

Anybody have any other skinny on this?

[plumber2]

There is a story among our family that my grandmother, being one of Kaplan's oldest customers, once went in shopping for shoes. Mr. Kaplan, (the father to Benjamin and Hermann) waited on her trying on all different types of shoes. After trying on almost every womens shoe in stock and not finding anything that suited her she got up to leave. Mr. Kaplan, desperate to make a sale, convinced her in his old word Jewish accent to go outside, come back in and we'll start all over again until we find something you like.

Us grandkids never knew if this was a true story or not, but it is a good one nonetheless.

[Porchman]

Update: The building is almost completely torn down as of yesterday.

[TexasArchitect]

Porchman, on Monday, June 25th, 2007 @ 10:06am, said:

Update: The building is almost completely torn down as of yesterday.

what?!?!?! oh man that sucks. that corner is going to look diff w/o kaplans there....

[Porchman]

TexasArchitect, on Monday, June 25th, 2007 @ 10:15am, said:

what?!?!?! oh man that sucks. that corner is going to look diff w/o kaplans there....

It's going to look and feel really different if they put a huge apartment complex there.

[jm1fd]

Porchman, on Monday, June 25th, 2007 @ 10:06am, said:

Update: The building is almost completely torn down as of yesterday.

Indeed. It is now Kaplan's BenFlattened.

[tanith27]

FYI, from the Chron this weekend:


Heights apartments
A $30 million apartment complex under construction on a century-old commercial site in the Heights is further proof of how this neighborhood is continuing its evolution from a quaint residential area to an urban enclave.

The 195-unit development at 2125 Yale is being built on the site of the old Kaplan's-Ben Hur department store that closed about two years ago.

Designed by Meeks + Partners for Allied Realty Services, the modern multifamily building, with four stories of apartments over two levels of parking, will sit on a 2-acre site between 21st and 22nd streets.

One- and two-bedroom apartments will range from 700 square feet to 1,378 square feet.

The sidewalks surrounding the building will be friendly to pedestrians, the developer said. The first occupants should be able to move in next August.

Just a few blocks away is 19th Street, a commercial area that's become lined with hip boutiques and restaurants.




Remembering old store
But the developer isn't letting go of the past entirely.

The clubhouse and leasing center will include restored southern yellow pine flooring that was salvaged from the retail building.

Kaplan's department store was a family-owned Heights fixture since 1913 when it opened as a feed store.

It eventually came to sell everything from clothing to glass trinkets and Christmas cards to bakeware.

[crunchtastic]

Quote

urban enclave

But will it have good lighting?