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September 5, 2008
Jerry Silverman’s World of Clothing
Barbara Pash
Associate Editor
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It’s a family affair at Jerry’s Bargains, a downtown clothing store so cost-conscious that its namesake, Jerry Silverman, describes the shop as “a notch below Wal-Mart” in prices.
Mr. Silverman is the owner and dad. His wife, Iris, is the bookkeeper. His son, Robbie, is general manager. His daughter, Linda, is a sales associate. They oversee a 3,200-square-foot store that was originally two adjacent buildings at 605-607 W. Lexington St., two blocks west of Lexington Market and a block north of the University of Maryland downtown campus.
A Baltimore native, Mr. Silverman lives in Pikesville and belongs to three congregations –– Pikesville’s Beth Tfiloh, B’nai Israel in East Baltimore, and St. Thomas Synagogue in the Virgin Islands, which he and his wife joined on a trip there.
Mr. Silverman has been in the clothing business since, well, forever. His father, Bob Silverman, owned a store called Bob’s Bargains at 1159 E. Lombard St. “It was the family dry goods store,” remembered Jerry Silverman, a gregarious 73-year-old. “We lived on top of the store, the clothing underneath.”
Bob’s Bargains still exists, but after high school (City College class of 1953) and a few years at the University of Baltimore, Mr. Silverman decided to open his own store. In 1963, he rented 605 W. Lexington St., and then bought it when it became available. In 1968, the building next door, 607 W. Lexington St., came up for sale, and Mr. Silverman bought that, too. The dividing wall was partially removed, and open archways allow access between the two buildings.
“The business had grown that much to make it worthwhile,” said Mr. Silverman. “We were busy from the day we opened.”
The store carries approximately 100,000 men’s, women’s and children’s items. They are jampacked on both sides and down the center aisles of both buildings. Much of the space is taken up with children’s items, which run from newborn to boys and girls size 20.
The store specializes in school uniforms, which 10 years ago Baltimore City Public Schools mandated as required apparel. The two top selling months are August, for school uniforms, and December, for Christmas gifts. Children’s items, from infants on up, are the year-round best sellers.
Loyal Following
As its name implies, the store’s niche is budget-pricing. Its merchandise comes from a variety of sources, including irregulars and close-outs. The store also buys items other stores refuse, perhaps because of a delivery mix-up.
“We do not buy damaged goods,” said Mr. Silverman.
After 45 years in business, Jerry’s Bargains has developed a loyal following. Mr. Silverman said he is now serving the grandchildren of his original customers. Lately, Mr. Silverman said, as a result of the tough economy, “people who would normally buy in department stores are looking at us.”
With shops lining the street, West Lexington gets a lot of foot traffic. The University of Maryland and the Veterans Administration Hospital complexes are nearby. But customers come from all over the city and beyond, not just the local neighborhood.
“People have heard of us. They come in cars and on the light rail,” Mr. Silverman said. “We even get people from Washington, D.C.”
Rayner Holmes is one of those loyal customers. Mrs. Holmes, who works at the University of Maryland Medical Center, is a regular at Jerry’s.
“I’ve been coming here since I started working at Maryland, 33 years ago,” said Mrs. Holmes.
Mrs. Holmes held up a pair of boys’ knee-length denim shorts. They cost $9, and “up the street, at another store, they cost $16,” she said. As for the school uniforms she was also buying, “You can run around town looking for matching colors. Here, they have them all and I can put them on layaway.”
Besides layaway, the store accepts credit cards and returned merchandise, and Mr. Silverman prides himself on treating customers with respect and personal service.
Despite all this good will, Jerry’s Bargains faces increasing competition. School uniforms are widely sold in stores from Target to Wal-Mart and other “independents” like Jerry’s. Companies from which Mr. Silverman used to buy merchandise are now opening their own outlet stores.
“Their pricing [in their outlets] is a little lower than regular department stores, so people think they’re getting a bargain,” he said. “But their prices aren’t as low as ours.”
Said Tom Saquella, president of the Maryland Retailers Association: “There’s a market for low-end stores. They are found especially in inner-city areas because that’s the demographic they serve.”
For the most part, it’s a demographic ignored by the large national chains. But Mr. Saquella points to the recent opening of a Target in Mondawmin Mall as a sign that the situation may be changing.
“It’s the small, local stores like Jerry’s that have been meeting the demand,” said Mr. Saquella. “But as the bigger stores come in, there’s more competition, and it makes it even more difficult for them to survive.”
Robbie Silverman, for one, has no doubt that Jerry’s Bargains will survive and thrive. “Given our customers, this is a good location. And everyone is looking for a bargain. Price is king,” said Robbie Silverman, a University of Baltimore graduate with a degree in business. He said he chose to work in the family store because “this is the front lines.”
Robbie Silverman, a 48-year old Mount Washington resident who belongs to Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah Hebrew Congregation, started working in the store at age 10. Now, he said, “I like working here. I know the customers. They call me ‘Little Jerry.’”
He said he does everything from buying the merchandise to hauling in deliveries, from shoveling snow off the sidewalk in front of the store to setting up displays.
“Every day is different. The customers are different. It’s fun to be creative,” said Robbie Silverman. “The store is a city within itself.”