Battelstein's Department Store At 812 Main St.

[PBAYS]

Most times we saw Battlestein's, we just kept walking. It seemed to "adult or square" to us teens. All we would see were like matronly dames or ladies that appeared very high brow, enter & exit.

Anyone have any idea of the origins of that name ? I mean like what part of the world it originated from? German perhaps?

Mr. Phillip Battlestein immigrated to the US from Russia in 1884 when he was 15 years old. He was a Russian Jew. Phillip was a tailor.

The family settled in Missouri. His wife's name was Annie. They had two daughters, Maly and Toby that were born in Missouri. Prior to 1899, they relocated to Houston. In 1899 their son, Abe Battlestein was born. Abe Battlestein is the child that operated the "Battlestein's " store in Houston along with his brothers, Harry and Bennie.

Mr. Phillip Battlestein was an enderly, portly gentleman in 1939 when I was about 4 years old and would go shopping with my mother at Battlesteins. He would stand at the front door with a pocket full of dimes and hand them out to the children who came shopping with their parents. As you walked into the front door there was the cosmetics department. To the left on the main level were men's shirts, hats and shoes. To the right, I believe were the women's shoes. The upper floors were for ladies and children's fashions.

[kylejack]

Does anyone know of a business called Grant's that was on Capitol half a block SE of Main Street? Looking from the patio of St Germain down onto the parking lot across Capitol there is an entry stone that says Grant's. What building used to be here?

[FilioScotia]

Does anyone know of a business called Grant's that was on Capitol half a block SE of Main Street? Looking from the patio of St Germain down onto the parking lot across Capitol there is an entry stone that says Grant's. What building used to be here?

That was the Grant's variety store.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._T._Grant

W.T. Grant had a chain of these stores all over the country. His stores were a few cents up from the Five and Dime. In fact, Grant's was the 25 cent store. They were an early version of Walmart. Inexpensive goods, low price, high volume.

[rsb320]

Does anyone know of a business called Grant's that was on Capitol half a block SE of Main Street? Looking from the patio of St Germain down onto the parking lot across Capitol there is an entry stone that says Grant's. What building used to be here?

I remember Grant's in other locations. They were like a Woolworth's or early version of K-Mart.

[marmer]

I remember Grant's in other locations. They were like a Woolworth's or early version of K-Mart.

I am 95% sure there was a W.T. Grant's in "downtown" Freeport in the 60s and early 70s. As others have posted, it was slightly more upscale than Woolworths. There were a lot of those independent discount stores back then: Bottom Dollar, Howard's, etc.

[NenaE]

I grew up with the Grant's & Newberry's(similar store across from it) in the Gulfgate Shopping Center, in the 1960's. They were located at the end of the south wing, next to the theater bridge entrance/ exit. One store had a soda fountain. I think Grant's was on the west side, with the soda fountain and grill.

My mom talks of the Grant's she frequented as a teenager, downtown.

[silverartfox]

My mom talks of the Grant's she frequented as a teenager, downtown.

When I was a little kid, no trip to shop in downtown Houston was complete until we had been to Grant's, Kress' and Woolworth's. A special Christmastime treat was being allowed to choose a new tree ornament from each store -- they cost 10 or 15 cents each -- plus spun glass "angel hair" and lead foil "icicles".

[little frau]

I too remember the three stores, Grant's, Kress' and Woolworth's. I believe though, that Grants was on Main and perhaps the entry that kylejack saw was a side entrance to that store.

Maybe someone with an old phone book for Houston will look it up.

[NenaE]

http://www.cah.utexa...iable=e_bb_3883

I'm guessing this would have been the older Grant's bldg. downtown, photo.

Bob Bailey photos are priceless, Battelsteins and others are there too, see shopping category, as well.

[dbigtex56]

Bob Bailey photos are priceless

Indeed they are. That's the great thing about silver nitrate photography - it's fairly stable.

I hope that digital images fare as well. What a shame it would be if our generation's pictures were lost.

[PBAYS]

Most times we saw Battlestein's, we just kept walking. It seemed to "adult or square" to us teens. All we would see were like matronly dames or ladies that appeared very high brow, enter & exit.

Anyone have any idea of the origins of that name ? I mean like what part of the world it originated from? German perhaps?

[PBAYS]

The origin of the name was from the founder Philip Battelstein, a Russian Jew, who immigrated to the United States in 1884 at the age of 15. He first settled in St Louis Missouri. In approximately 1899, Mr. Battelstein and his wife, Annie moved to Houston with their two daughters, Molly and Mistoby. Shortly after they moved to Houston, their third child, a son, Abe was born. They later had two other sons, Harry and Ben David.

[djrage]

Want a look inside... here you go

http://www.flickr.com/photos/secretsquirrel5468/sets/72157623218893954/

[sevfiv]

Very cool! I found more ads like below recently and updated my page: http://arch-ive.org/archive/battelsteins/

 

[Specwriter]

Wow! There are enough subjects mentioned in this thread for maybe three individual threads. FWIW, there was also a Battlestein's at Greenspoint Mall when it first opened. That later became a Beall's department store. Even in the late 1970's I believe Battlestein's would be considered a notch above Foley's in its merchandise.

 

There was also a Grant's in the Northtown Shopping Center at the corner of the North Freeway and Tidwell. It was in the center of the strip where it made the corner so its entrance was at a 45 degree angle to the stores to the left and right of it. It also seemed to be somewhat larger than the TG&Y and Woolworth's at the time though it seems they sold about the same things.

 

I searched a thread on HAIF about the Jamail Brothers grocery store but did not find anything. Perhaps I was not thorough enough. The store was something special indeed. It terms of service and quality it would put anything we have today to shame. Then again, one did pay for that. It is fortunate it was located next to River Oaks. I believe the Jamails were from Lebanon.

[Subdude]

Amazing.  What a cool building.  Was that a Battlesteins that was in River Oaks at Shepherd and Welch?

 

 

 

I searched a thread on HAIF about the Jamail Brothers grocery store but did not find anything. Perhaps I was not thorough enough. The store was something special indeed. It terms of service and quality it would put anything we have today to shame. Then again, one did pay for that. It is fortunate it was located next to River Oaks. I believe the Jamails were from Lebanon.

Wasn't there another Jamails on Bissonnet?

 

 

[mkultra25]

Wow! There are enough subjects mentioned in this thread for maybe three individual threads. FWIW, there was also a Battlestein's at Greenspoint Mall when it first opened. That later became a Beall's department store. Even in the late 1970's I believe Battlestein's would be considered a notch above Foley's in its merchandise.

 

There was also a Grant's in the Northtown Shopping Center at the corner of the North Freeway and Tidwell. It was in the center of the strip where it made the corner so its entrance was at a 45 degree angle to the stores to the left and right of it. It also seemed to be somewhat larger than the TG&Y and Woolworth's at the time though it seems they sold about the same things.

 

Having shopped at both the Battlestein's and Foley's at Greenspoint when the mall was still relatively new, I would definitely agree that Battlestein's was perceived as a higher-end store than Foley's back then.

 

When was there a Grant's at Northtown Plaza? I remember a Grant's anchoring one end of the shopping center at Little York & 45 (the space that later became Big Texan Lanes), but I don't recall one at Northtown. I do remember an A&P grocery at Northtown in the late 60s, about as far back as my memory goes. 

[Specwriter]

When was there a Grant's at Northtown Plaza? I remember a Grant's anchoring one end of the shopping center at Little York & 45 (the space that later became Big Texan Lanes), but I don't recall one at Northtown. I do remember an A&P grocery at Northtown in the late 60s, about as far back as my memory goes. 

 

The Grant's in Northtown was there in the mid-1960's. I'm pretty sure it was closed when the one opened at Little York and the freeway.

 

The Grant's at Northtown was where I purchased my first of scores of model car and model plane kits. I cannot remember for sure but it may have been a 1/25 scale kit of a 1965 El Camino. I remember getting a lot of help from my dad with that one as I was putting it together in the back room of his drug store.

 

The A&P became a Randall's (one of the first in the city) about 1966 which is as far back as my memory goes.

[ArchFan]

In the late 50s and the 60s, my mom shopped and had her hair done at the Battelstein's on Shepherd.  As a kid, what impressed me about that store was a goldfish (or maybe koi) pool that spanned the entryway, such that fish could swim between the inside of the store and outdoors.  It doesn't seem very practical now, but it was an elegant touch.

 

I'm sure I also visited heir downtown store, but don't have any memories of it.  However, I do remember the downtown Neiman Marcus that was nearby.  It was fancier I think, but rather small, especially compared to the Sakowitz store across from Foley's.

 

[ArchFan]

Oh, and people always said it should be pronounced "Battelsteen's", not "Battelstein's".  So, when the movie "Young Frankenstein" came out, that made it even funnier!  ;-)

[Specwriter]

Oh, and people always said it should be pronounced "Battelsteen's", not "Battelstein's".  So, when the movie "Young Frankenstein" came out, that made it even funnier!  ;-)

 

This is a bit off-topic but has always vexed me too. Our German professor made it very clear that, when and 'i' and 'e' are together in a word, the second vowel is pronounced in its long form. As he told the class, "D-i-e-s-e-l is pronounced Dee'-zel not Die'-zel." That said a family has the right to pronounce its name any way it wants.

[plumber2]

 

Amazing.  What a cool building.  Was that a Battlesteins that was in River Oaks at Shepherd and Welch?

 

 

 

Wasn't there another Jamails on Bissonnet?

 

 Yes, there were several Jamials locations but the one on Kirby was their flagship store and the last to close. There was a moderate president elected in Lebanon back in the '80's that the local press made a deal about him being related to the Jamails of Houston even though his name was spelt differently. Of course being a moderate got promptly assasinated.

[Specwriter]

  

 Yes, there were several Jamials locations but the one on Kirby was their flagship store and the last to close. There was a moderate president elected in Lebanon back in the '80's that the local press made a deal about him being related to the Jamails of Houston even though his name was spelt differently. Of course being a moderate got promptly assasinated.

 

That was Bachir Gemayel. He was elected president in August 1982 but assassinated less than a month later before he was even inaugurated.

 

We've always been told "everything in moderation" is best. Apparently that is not the case in the political realm in many places.

[IronTiger]

It looks like Battlestein's was purchased by Bealls as early as the late 1970s, with the downtown store closed in 1980. Most of the Bealls stores in Texas are pretty dowdy today, but Bealls merged with Palais Royal in 1992, and it looks like a lot of the Bealls stores in Houston were eventually closed or rebranded, with the last one in San Jacinto Mall, which also had a Palais Royal (likely predating it).

[intencity77]

1 hour ago, IronTiger said:

It looks like Battlestein's was purchased by Bealls as early as the late 1970s, with the downtown store closed in 1980. Most of the Bealls stores in Texas are pretty dowdy today, but Bealls merged with Palais Royal in 1992, and it looks like a lot of the Bealls stores in Houston were eventually closed or rebranded, with the last one in San Jacinto Mall, which also had a Palais Royal (likely predating it).

 

The Palais Royal and Bealls at San Jacinto Mall opened at the same time, neither predated each other.

[IronTiger]

Just now, intencity77 said:

 

The Palais Royal and Bealls at San Jacinto Mall opened at the same time, neither predated each other.

Right, but at the time they opened they were not part of the same company. I'd also bet that the Bealls of 1982 was originally planned as a Battlestein's.

[gnu]

I don't think the San Jacinto Mall Beall's was planned as a Battlestein's.  The Beall's on Texas Ave in downtown Baytown closed and reopened at the mall when it opened.

The Penney's and Sears also moved their Texas Ave locations when the mall opened. Same thing with The Fair (aka Bay Fair)  It moved from Bay Plaza on Alexander.

 

Also, my memory thinks the Battlestein's at Almeda had already turned into a Palais Royal by like 1978 or 1979

[UtterlyUrban]

On 4/11/2013 at 8:15 AM, sevfiv said:

Very cool! I found more ads like below recently and updated my page: http://arch-ive.org/archive/battelsteins/

 

Interesting.  The archive shows that in 1950, they may have also occupied an adjacent building (now a taller parking garage).  Thanks for posting this.

[morpheus]

My mom took me to Battlesteins on Shepherd. It was definitely not as chic as Sakowitz, more affordable, which is why she shopped there, along with Foley's. There was a saleslady named Marge, a real character who would measure me for pants and her reference would be, "Just a little below where the Yankee shot you."

[Ross]

From the Chronicle, Battlesteins on Shepherd http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/article/Photos-River-Oaks-life-in-the-1950s-1980s-12544126.php#photo-14976331