George Kline took over management of Kline’s Department Store, a downtown fixture in south suburban Chicago Heights, after his uncle Abe, a co-founder of the store, stepped down in the early 1960s.
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It was the kind of store where you could find just about anything in the way of softgoods, where the staff of 200 was treated like family and where customers got greeted at the door.
Known in his community for hiring those down on their luck, Mr. Kline also gave opportunities to women with little or no retail experience, helping them develop skills and promoting them into management positions.
“He was proud of his store and the people that worked there, some who had been with us for 20 or 30 years,” said his daughter, Betti Goldberg, who grew up working for her family’s business. “His employees loved him, because he was a softy at heart.”
Mr. Kline, 91, who was president of Kline’s Department Store until it closed in 1995, died of natural causes Friday, April 17, at Brookdale, a nursing facility in Olympia Fields.
“Kline’s was a one-stop store where you could find just about anything,” Goldberg said. “You’d walk in looking for a baby gift and walk out with a fur coat.”
During the 1970s, Mr. Kline and his store weathered hard economic times that followed the shutdown of several nearby factories. Many other storefronts on Lincoln Highway were shuttered during that time.
One day, two men entered the store, robbed it and took off on foot down the street with armloads of men’s clothing.
“Without even thinking, I ran after them,” said Jill Sevelow, a former buyer with Kline’s. “I got about a block down and heard someone yelling at me to stop and it was Mr. Kline. He ran up to me out of breath, put his arm around my shoulder and said something I’ll never forget that really touched me. He said, ‘Jill, what’s more important? Your life or a bunch of stupid tracksuits?'”
The son of Eastern European immigrants, Mr. Kline was born and raised in Philadelphia, where he attended Temple University.
At the end of his sophomore year, he joined the Army and served stateside for two years during World War II. Upon his military discharge, he returned to Temple on the GI Bill and earned a bachelor’s degree before heading out to California to attend law school.
On his way out West, Mr. Kline stopped in Chicago Heights to visit his uncle, Abe Kline, who along with partners founded Kline’s Department Store in 1923.
“He toured the store, talked with his uncle about a career in retail and then decided this was what he wanted to do,” his daughter said.
In 1975, Mr. Kline became the sole owner of the store, and not long after his wife, Shirley, joined the business.
“They worked as a team, creating a warm environment that made Kline’s a really special place to work and shop,” Sevelow said.
After the store closed in 1995, Mr. Kline and his wife spent much of their time with grandchildren and traveling.
“I still run into people that used to work at Kline’s, who get misty-eyed just talking about the old days,” Sevelow said. “There will never be another store like it.”
Mr. Kline’s wife died in 2004 after 55 years of marriage.
Other survivors include a son, Mitchell, and six grandchildren.
Services were held.
Giangrasse Kates is a freelancer.
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