“Silent Cal” Coolidge was the president. News junkies were glued to reports about the Scopes Trial. The Charleston was all the rage among dance enthusiasts and flappers.
A loaf of bread was a dime, potatoes were 85 cents a half-bushel, and a carton of eggs cost about 50 cents.
It all started back in 1925 with a small general store along Fallston’s Main Street, in then-rural Harford County, owned and operated by Maurice and Sara Klein.
Today, that same business — the Forest Hill, Maryland-based Klein’s Family Markets — is a fourth-generation Jewish family-owned ShopRite Supermarket company with eight locations in Harford and Baltimore counties, as well as a store in Baltimore City’s Howard Park community.
Throughout 2025, Klein’s will celebrate its centennial anniversary with a series of gatherings and activities. Jmore recently spoke with David Klein, the company’s vice president of marketing and procurement, about the company’s milestone.
As a company and family, how’re you planning to mark this milestone?
In recognition of our 100th anniversary, we are celebrating our customers throughout the year with special ‘Thank you’ sales, giveaways and events each quarter. This continued support of the communities we serve has made it possible for our family to achieve the 100-year milestone, for which we are extremely grateful.
What do you think Maurice and Sara Klein would think of the success of their general store?
I think our family would be proud of the way we have been able to serve and support families in our community. We employ over 1,200 people and are one of the largest private employers in [Harford] county. Multiple generations of family members have worked in our stores, met their spouses or fed their families through this business.
We’ve had some tough years along the way, but I would like to think Grandpa Mo and Grandma Sara smile down upon us for the work we are able to do.
So many grocery stores and supermarket chains have come and gone. What’s the secret to Klein’s success?
Our success has always been tied to our core mission — serving families. We began as a general store selling items that the local farming community needed to run their farms. As times changed, we had to bring in new items for our customers to meet their needs first.
We’ve always been flexible and committed to the customer experience. When an event like a hurricane or even a pandemic occurs, we work extremely hard to have what our customers need. We exist to serve our customers, and keeping the customer in focus has always been the key.
Why is philanthropy such a critical component to the company’s ethos?
[Second-generation owners] Ralph and Shirley Klein were extremely committed to making Harford County a great place to raise a family. They found many great partners in the community who shared this vision and goal, which made it possible to achieve things.
Ralph and Shirley funded education and health care initiatives privately, while through the supermarket business they engaged in fighting hunger through partnerships with food banks.
Now as a company, we have a commitment to education, health care and fighting hunger. We serve this mission in a number of ways, but perhaps most proudly through our annual contribution to the Maryland Food Bank, our largest single recipient.
How did the company continue to thrive even after the sudden passing in 2019 of president and CEO Andrew Klein?
The passing of Andy was an inflection point for our company and family. While at the time there were five members of the fourth-generation working in the business, the third-generation of family members were very much involved in the day-to-day operations of the company. We had just very recently lost the prior generation, Ralph and Shirley, and it was a period of big change for our family.
Things immediately shifted for the worse six months later when [the late Howard Klein] was diagnosed with brain cancer. The times forced our family to pull together and become a fourth-generation operation. Everyone expanded their roles and responsibilities. Their legacy lives on with their children and grandchildren.
How many generations of Kleins are still involved in the business?
The third and fourth generations are working in the business. Michael Klein is our chairman and involved in our supermarket and related businesses. From the fourth-generation we have Marshall Klein, Sarah Klein, Stephen Klein, Jacob Klein and David Klein.
How would you characterize the relationship between Klein’s and ShopRite?
As members of Wakefern, the nation’s largest retailer-owned cooperative, we are able to harness the buying power of a major company and deliver extreme value in pricing to our customers in a way we never could as an independent.
We run and operate the stores as we would as an independent (we were independent until 2008), but we advertise and trade as ShopRite, utilizing the ShopRite pricing and buying power of the cooperative.
Come inside our stores and you will see what the Klein’s experience is all about.
Where do you envision the direction of Klein’s in the future? Will the company remain in family hands?
At Klein’s, we are committed to being the retailer and employer of choice for Maryland. This is a lifetime commitment that we will never walk away from. Our business is not for sale and will be operated by our family members so long as we have family members around to run them. We are actively looking to expand.
Will there be stores outside of Maryland at some point?
We would open stores outside of Maryland, given we have the ability to operate it, so there are some geographical limitations. Our store in [the northern Harford County community of] Cardiff is right on the state line with Pennsylvania, so we’re pretty close.
How do you view the legacy of Klein’s and what this anniversary means to you and your family?
Our legacy rests in the serving of families and the good we are able to achieve. This anniversary provides us a great opportunity and reminder to say ‘Thank you’ to those who carried our business these many years.
We have had the blessing of tremendous staff and people working in our business, people from our communities who served their neighbors with a smile. This anniversary is about them.
To stay up-to-date on events and anniversary sales throughout the year, follow Klein’s Family Markets on Instagram and Facebook.
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