It’s always been a mystery to me— whenever people around town reminisce about the long-gone days of downtown shopping, they inevitably mention Hutzler’s. Some will even talk about Hochschild’s. A few might mention the May Co. (which later became Hecht’s). Or O’Neill’s or Gutman’s. Almost no one has anything to say about Stewart’s. Come on folks, where’s the love?

Michael Lisicky’s book, “Hutzler’s: Where Baltimore Shops,” was the talk of the town last holiday season, and it extolled the virtues of the city’s most treasured hometown chain of department stores. No argument here. I read it and was fascinated by the level of merchandise and service that was taken for granted by Baltimoreans for years, before the chain faltered and failed. In 2006, we here at Style produced a story about the history of the Hecht Co. when that chain was being subsumed by Macy’s, and I got schooled in the minutiae of that store and its place in the pecking order of local merchandisers. And last March, we delved into the heritage of Hochschild Kohn & Co. in our “Past Perfect” department, and heard lots of feedback from readers who wanted to wax nostalgic about that one.

Mention Stewart’s and you’ll hear the sound of crickets. Well, maybe not always. I remember when I came to town hearing it mentioned once or twice, and always as its having been the “fanciest” or “most expensive” of the local stores. But somehow just not as well-loved, or at least not outside of old-school WASP circles. In an editorial from 1983 in The Sun, when the chain announced it was closing, the store was referred to as “the aristocrat of Baltimore stores.” And in the early part of the 20th century, the downtown flagship was thought to be the largest department store south of the Mason-Dixon. This fascinated me, and spurred me to assign writer Mary K. Zajac to investigate.

What we found is a legion of locals who shopped and/or worked at the chain’s downtown gleaming white palace-like store or at one of its five chic suburban branches. The store’s employees were a close-knit family, its stores were beautifully designed, its merchandise was first-rate, its service, stellar.

One more thing to bring to your attention: starting in September, we’ll add a useful new feature to the Style magazine website: our “Little Black Book.” Or I should say, your Little Black Book. It’s a clearinghouse of dates over the next year when all major charity functions, benefits and parties will be held. So if you’re on a committee with a major event to plan, check out Little Black Book first to clear your date so that there won’t be as many frustrating overlaps in parties next year! And please, send me your event dates now, so that we can include them in the launch of Style’s Little Black Book. 
     
Brian Michael Lawrence
editor-in-chief
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http://www.baltimorestyle.com

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