25-05-2025
This Defunct Grocery Store Chain Was The Supermarket Wannabe New Yorkers Dreamed Of
For over a century, Waldbaum's was a supermarket that exemplified the authentic New York City experience. Its progressive hiring mindset and diverse leadership made it the kind of local fixture that New Yorkers loved, along with late co-owner Julia Waldbaum's hands-on presence and personal touch through regular in-store visits. The store's wide selection of imported Italian and kosher goods also reflected the city's cultural richness -- a much-appreciated quality among its middle- to upper-middle class customer base.
Long before it became a household name, Waldbaum's was a modest shop in Brooklyn, opened in 1904 by Israel Waldbaum, who primarily sold butter and eggs. A chance encounter with a store regular, Julia Leffel, and a personal sugar delivery led Israel and Julia into romance and soon marriage. Julia began working in the store, eventually becoming the face of the growing brand. Her photo appeared in weekly circular flyers and on many of Waldbaum's branded food products, all while creating a personal connection with customers.
In 1938, Waldbaum's made a historic breakthrough by promoting Black identical twin brothers, Ernest and George Brown, from stockboys to checkout clerks. This was during a time when it was unusual for Black checkers to be working in predominantly white neighborhoods. Despite this, the Brown brothers would advance their careers with Waldbaum's and become a vice-president and assistant vice-president, respectively, during the 1960s.
Through this blended approach of personal touch and an inclusive mindset, Waldbaum's continued to grow, becoming one of the most unique grocery stores of its time. The modest egg and milk shop would soon evolve into one of New York City's largest chain stores.
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Waldbaum's had continued to expand throughout New York City, eventually reaching down the East Coast and even into California. Julia held the title of company secretary and remained the heart of the brand. She took pride in her stores, personally inspecting each location, dusting shelves while properly front-facing products.
By the 1960s, Waldbaum's had grown. It wasn't the largest grocery store chain in the United States, but it had evolved into a respectably sized supermarket chain with private-label goods making up 20% of its grocery revenues. In the 1980s, Waldbaum's transitioned into a megastore, adding general merchandise items within dramatically larger retail spaces. However, the chain's success didn't last. Waldbaum's pleaded no contest in 1984 to a coupon-related price-fixing conspiracy charge, for which it was fined $700,000 and distributed $7.5 million worth of customer coupons as part of the settlement.
Two years later, the company was sold to the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) for $287.1 million, with the family holding a 60% stake. This sale became tainted, however, when Ira Waldbaum's son-in-law leaked information about the deal, leading to an insider trading conviction for the stockbroker who benefited from the tip-off. Moreover, the 1990s saw Waldbaum's fail nearly half of its sanitation inspections, along with multiple issues related to labor laws.
After these events and declining performance, members of the Waldbaum family gradually left the company. Waldbaum's closed its doors in 2015, and while its website references a relaunch in 2018, that never appears to have happened after the A&P grocery chain bankruptcy. For many, Waldbaum's remains only a beloved memory, a symbol of neighborhood pride and family-run grocery stores.
Read the original article on Chowhound.
