Klein's ShopRite of Maryland Founder Dies at 88

The founder of Klein’s ShopRite of Maryland—Ralph Lincoln Klein—passed away Saturday night, the company announced on Sunday. He was 88.

Klein’s ShopRite of Maryland, which is headquartered in Forest Hill, includes nine grocery stores in Harford and Baltimore counties as well as Baltimore City.

After expanding from its flagship Forest Hill location and joining the ShopRite banner in 2008, Klein’s stores have remained locally owned and retained a personal feel, thanks in large part to Ralph Klein’s influence, according to employees and customers.

“He really did care about the people that worked for his company. We were people to him, not just a number. You rarely can find such a great quality in an employer anymore,” one woman wrote on the company’s post about his passing. “Mr. Ralph Klein was one of the nicest, [most] caring employers I have ever had.”

Another woman said that Ralph Klein once personally washed a strawberry for her at the Forest Hill store so she could sample it.

The family tradition of Klein’s supermarkets began when Ralph Klein’s parents purchased a general store on Main Street in Fallston in 1925, according to the corporate history.

His father closed up shop in Fallston after Ralph was drafted to serve in World War II since he had started the business so they could run it together, I95 Business Magazine reported.

Once Ralph Klein returned from war, the family opened another store in 1949, this one in a village center in Forest Hill, called “Maurice Klein and Son”—Maurice was Ralph’s father.

The name changed to “Klein’s” and the grocery store moved to a more modern location on Rock Spring Road in Forest Hill in 1979, according to Klein’s ShopRite of Maryland. Ralph Klein ran that store with his children, and the chain has since grown to nine locations that are under the operation of fourth-generation family members.

Klein’s ShopRite is now among the top 10 largest employers in Harford County, according to the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

In business and philanthropy, Ralph Klein has been a fixture of the Harford County community, where Klein’s ShopRite reports it has contributed more than $190,000 in community donations each year, including a $40,000 scholarship annually.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

Photo Credit: Klein’s ShopRite of Maryland.