08/06/2026
to the Baby Shop!
The Baby Shop was a Main Street Evansville institution for nearly 70 years. Edna Schlundt created the store in 1915 because she couldn’t find a place to buy baby clothes. It was a high quality, popular retail store that catered to the needs of families with infants and children through their teen years.
In 1991, the store closed its doors on the Main Street location but there were other locations in Washington Square Mall, Eastland Mall, and North Brook Shopping Center. The Washington Square Mall store opened in 1963 and was an anchor throughout its existence. The Baby Shop closed its last store in January 1992. Gordon Schlundt, the last owner and grandson of Edna Schlundt, said that store hadn’t been profitable in years and suffered because it was only a mid size store.
❓️ What are some of your memories of the Baby Shop?
Source: “Growing up in Evansville,” Evansville Living, November 2014.
📷️ Interested in Evansville’s history? Explore the EVPL’s Digital Archive, which is home to the numerous collections: https://digital.evpl.org/
1️⃣ This postcard features The Baby Shop co-founder Henry J. Schlundt and images of the store. The recipient of this postcard was able to redeem it for a free birthday gift from the store.
2️⃣ This is an even more colorful postcard of the store and Henry J. Schlundt.
3️⃣ The founders’ son Robert H Schlundt was featured in this postcard.
4️⃣ An era ended when The Baby Shop closed its doors for the last time, as announced in this Evansville Press article dated November 7, 1991.
