Retail Memories From Coast to Coast

Shopping Bag Masterpieces!

2007-02-06T12:10:00.000-05:00

For over 100 years, one retail mecca not only brought its customers the best of the fashion world, it boldly went where no store has gone before. Creating a slew of designer shopping bags highlighting anything from a seasonal event to a launch of a new fragrance. These satchels of commerce quickly became collectors items and I was fortunate to have collected most of them. Of course, I'm talking about Bloomingdale's. "Bloomie's" as it was known to by its fans, is the quintessential place to browse, shop, buy and mingle with the famous and infamous, but from the 1960's through the early 1990's it was known as a mecca, a museum of retail-ology not found much anymore today. For it was Bloomie's that originated and perfected the promotion of anything and everything imaginable. Remember the "Pet Rock", it was featured first at Bloomie's. Both Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan started their careers there as well.

Who would've thought that something used to carry out a purchase would become a pop-culture classic and highly collectible around the world? Bloomingdale's classic "big brown bag" is as much of an icon as "Coca-Cola" is today.

Rather then give you individual pictures of some 60+ bags I've collected over the years, I decided to make a collage and link it to YouTube. I would appreciate any and all feedback and if you notice in the film, there are a few "unknown" bags I would certainly appreciate any help on their identities.

A Shopping Center is Born

2007-02-06T02:46:00.000-05:00

This really isn't my expertise, I have more knowledge of general retail and collect it's past. But these videos (actually the same video, but I had to split it up for youtube) depict Hillsdale Shopping Center which was recently built in 1957 when the film was shot. This link provides you with the current mall tenants and expansion as we know it today.

Some of the fascinating items I enjoy on this film are the vintage signs, cars, fashions, lifestyle, and most of all, the need to actually create a film on the subject, almost a class as to "how to shop" in these newfangled centers.

Imagine if you will, something we take for granted, the actual mall as we know it, but at the time of filming, this was a new concept unheard of before. The rush to live outside the downtown area had begun not long prior and people were moving into the suburbs. To actually have all of your shopping done in one convenient center was unheard of. So I imagine that was the need for this film. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

May's Day's

2007-02-04T19:07:00.000-05:00

Twenty five years ago, I began my collection of retail memorabilia. If you were to ask me back then who owned who, I would've been puzzled. Back then, one didn't know who was the parent company as there were many. Federated Department Stores, May Company, Allied Department Stores, Associated Dry Goods, British-American Tobacco and Target Corporation to name a few. And even with the corporate ownerships, some even survived and still to this day, to be family owned.

Up until 2005, companies were bought, sold, re-organized, bankrupt, leaving 2 corporations to own a majority of the department stores as we knew them. The May Company based out of St. Louis, MO and Federated Department Stores based out of Cincinati, OH. Two large powerhouses that would fight and bicker back and forth until one would emerge to dominate. In the early part of 2005, Federated would absorb the May Company operations and change the course of retail forever.

David May's first store in Leadville, CO began in 1877 supplying Levi's and clothing for the miners in the area. In 1888, he moved his location to Denver, and by 1892 purchased then the Famous Clothing Company in St. Louis, which later would become Famous-Barr. Finally in 1910, May incorporated in Cleveland OH to become the May Department Stores Company, owning stores from coast to coast. This predated Federated's formation by 20years. Thus becoming the nations FIRST and oldest department store group.

At the time of the merger between May and FDS, May operated 400 stores, 8 central offices serving 12 different nameplates. Filene's dominated the market in the Boston area until it absorbed Hartford's G. Fox & Company in 1992 giving it the main department store in New England and western New York, Kaufmann's buying offices were absorbed by Filene's in 2000 but Kaufmann's kept its nameplate (I guess they realized the consequences when they destroyed the G.Fox name forever.) Lord & Taylor, once the head of Associated Dry Goods was added in the 1980's. Hecht's, which also controlled Strawbridge's was based in Washington D.C. L.S. Ayers and Famous-Barr joined forces in the 90's also absorbing The Jones Store but keeping their nameplates separate. Marshall Field's purchased in 2003 had its' own buying office for its market. Meier & Frank in Portland was combined with Robinsons-May in California. Prior to Meier & Frank had absorbed the ZCMI company in Utah. Foley's once Federated owned, was located in Houston.

Outside of the Marshall Field's and Lord & Taylor divisions, the rest of the May Company stores were pretty much the same store, just a different nameplate. You can see by their final websites, how they operated pretty much the same, including the look of their shopping bags and charge plates. The stores had similar architecture, layouts, and offered the same middle-of-the-road merchandise**. Except for the trade names, they were basically cookie cutter excact copies of one another.

On the other hand, Marshall Field's being the landmark it was, and offering much more designer wear and higher end items, kept its website separate from the usual May Company sites. Lord & Taylor, though now privately owned, still operates the same format site it had as a May Company store.

**I can recall back in the 1980's prior to the stores becoming average, that the local G. Fox was far superior then a similar Hecht's store in Baltimore. It seemed to have better designer wear, household goods, furnishings and brand in general. It's a shame that when they were absorbed by the Filene's nameplate, they also lost their high-end appeal.

Field's Of Dreams

2007-02-02T17:35:00.000-05:00

What a sad day it was for retail in America on September 9, 2006, especially in Chicago! On that day, their beloved landmark Marshall Field’s store was changed forever to Macy’s. But it wasn’t just their store; it was 100’s of stores across the United States that suffered the blow as well. Local chains that became a part of the fabric of retail for the last century were swiped up and left behind as if they were garbage. Stores with such names as Filene’s, Hecht’s, Kaufmann’s, Famous-Barr, Meier & Frank, Robinsons-May, Foley’s, L. S. Ayers, Strawbridge’s and the Jones Store are now a thing of the past.

Lets face it, mass merchandising is a part of our culture and slowly it’s becoming all about the profit, rather then the people. Marshall Field said it the best, “Give the lady what she wants” when he described the proper way to handle the consumer. As a consumer, I want my Marshall Field’s back. I’m not happy with Macy’s on State Street as a name; Macy’s @ Field’s would be better. I’m sure most Chicago residents would agree. Marshall Field’s @ Macy’s would be far better sounding. But what can you do? Do you actually think that corporate America will listen to us?

Now don’t get me wrong, I like Macy’s, I’ve always have. Even when they were in downtown New Haven, I held a position there for a few years. Back then it was different though. They were a publicly owned company. In a way they still are, but they were R.H. Macy, not part of the Federated conglomerate. But it seemed that the fact they were local (Metro NYC area) made a bigger difference in how you did business. Yes, we didn’t have email, nor did we have computers, but life still went on and the store still made its profits.

In a way, FDS is good for MF. I don't agree in changing the name. But I do believe they have saved a local landmark from being destroyed. The way I see it, their former owner May Company eventually may have shuttered the landmark, therefore possibly losing this store and its glory to future generations. FDS has the capital and the knowledge to make MF continue to awe its shoppers and guests.

I was originally going to make this a historical blog about MF. But I see instead its turned into a gripe session. Rather then add on the history of the company, I’ve located some links so you can read what I would basically put here. Please comment on your thoughts on this merger as well. I would like to hear your opinions. In a few days however, I will be uploading some items I've collected over the past years. Please check back.

These pictures are a collection of gift cards from the former Marshall Field's.

View the floor directory, just before the
name change to Macy's
from 2005

Taubman in Connecticut, Malls to Movies...

2007-01-30T00:01:00.000-05:00

Mention shopping centers in either Stamford or Hartford, and most people will tell you about one of the two Taubman Centers in Connecticut; Stamford Town Center and Westfarms respectively.

Both centers service the influential communities of Fairfield and Litchfield counties (think movie star central) as well as their surrounding neighbors. Although both owned by the same corporate owner, these centers couldn't be more different in design from each other, Westfarms a suburban center on what used to be farmland and Stamford, built smack dab in the center of the downtown area among the country's highest ranking corporations. Of course their interior elements (elevators, moldings, planters) are similar, and share some stores as most malls today do, both have their roots grounded and both have retailers that are not found everywhere in the state.

Westfarms can be found on the town lines of West Hartford and Farmington CT. In fact, it's on the line so much, that the Macy's store actually is split diagonally down the middle, forcing Macy's to pay taxes in both towns. Built in 1974, its original anchors were JCPenney, Sage-Allen and G. Fox & Company.

After many years of being a destination unto itself, Lord & Taylor was relocated from it's West Hartford's Bishops Corner plaza roots to a new wing in 1983. 1994 brought the change of G.Fox to Filene's due to a MayCo merger. With the closing of Sage-Allen only to be absorbed into Filene's Men's store and furniture departments as part of an expansion. In 1996, the first Nordstrom in New England was added as well adding yet another slew of stores making their debut in a CT mall. Finally in 2006, Filene's was re branded into the current Macy's.

With the opening of the extension of Route 9, Westfarms has grown to be the premier mall in the state, and the surrounding area is now filled with big-box retailers and strip malls.

In the 1980's, Stamford CT was in the middle of a boom and rebirth. Corporate companies from all over the world, due to its close proximity to NYC would move their home offices into the downtown area. GTE, Xerox, Olin, Pitney-Bowes, GE & UBC to name a few, built office parks and changed the skyline from gaudy to glitzy practically overnight. This "Super-city" though home to a freestanding Bloomingdale's since 1954, Lord & Taylor since 1969, and Gimbels since the mid 1950's, lacked a central shopping area. The 3 stores were although along the same thoroughfare, were miles apart from each other. Plans to concentrate the retail space in one area begun and in 1981, the Stamford Town Center opened its' doors to the public. In the 9-story center, a brand new Macy's (the second in the state), Saks Fifth Avenue (another branch was located not far in Greenwich, but the Stamford location would include Men's clothing as well) & J.C. Penney anchors. Parking for the center was provided at the unforeseeable rate of 25 cents for 3hours on the rooftop decks.

Over the next few years, many stores, now common elsewhere opened their first US locations or CT branches in the center. Fendi, Coach, Origins, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Black-Starr & Frost, Stueben, F.A.O Schwarz, Bang-Olufsen, Domain, Abercrombie & Fitch (at that time A&F was a high-end sporting goods store, specializing in golf, tennis and safari type activities), Banana Republic (with its' famous jeep-through-the-display-window exterior) Brooks Brothers, Godiva and Sharper Image. I can recall at one time, the 180 store mall filled with the finest in designer sportswear, furnishings and accessory shops. It's fountain which shot the full 9 stories in the air, became a destination unto itself. Today its retail offerings have been reduced to the mundane. Although it is still architecturally stimulating, its shops and services are pretty much standard mall fare.

In 1991, Hollywood came to the Stamford Town Center, bringing with it 2 hall of fame stars, Bette Midler and Woody Allen. "Scenes from a Mall" was filmed partially in Stamford and also in another Taubman Property, Beverly Center in Los Angeles. If you see the movie, look for the blue carpeted center court scene, with the bystanders holding the Bullock's bags. That scene shows the best feature I believe of Stamford Town Center.

Even after the closing of the Bloomingale's & Gimbels down the street, the mall still ran into hard times in the 1990's. The recession forced out some of the higher-end retailers. The JCPenney became a Filene's, only to close 2 years after its conversion. Today, the Filene's location has been demolished to make way for a newer open-aired Lifestyle center addition to include the largest Barnes & Noble between Boston & New York City, new shops and various restaurants.

The Spitball of Commerce...Whooosh!

2007-01-29T20:29:00.000-05:00

Remember in study hall, you stole the straw from the cafeteria. Sitting at your desk, chewing on a piece of paper, you position the straw to your mouth and place the wad of chewed paper into the end of the tube. Then in a quick exhale, blowing forcibly, the wad is projected across the room hitting your friends or foes in the back of the head. Who would've thought, the process is over 100 years old and originally used as a tool to send information along a superhighway of polished brass tubes. The predecessor of today's Internet, email and computerized POS terminals.

We've all seen them. Those plastic tubes at the drive-thru tellers at your local bank. It's a simple process really, but you probably never really thought about it. You pull up in your car, press a button, and a door opens and pushes a plastic tube towards you. You reach out and grab it, twisting the end open, placing your deposit (no rolled coin please!) into the cylinder and twisting it shut. Then you place it back into the door and press the send button. Instantly the door shuts and they tube is whooshed either above the canopy or below the drive into the bank as the teller completes your transaction and returns it to you as quickly as he/she received it.

The technology for these Pneumatic tubes isn't new. In fact, department stores have been using them to transport cash and charge transactions long before the cash register was invented. Let alone the common POS systems of today. Some of America's great stores had more then 30 miles of tubing throughout their emporiums, speeding travel of currency at 1000 - 2500 feet per minute. On busy days, some of the tubes would travel over 12,000miles
(almost half way around the world.)

Strawbridge & Clothier's of Philadelphia impressive pneumatic tube system. Operators would be considered the lifeline of the stores they worked, for without them, service as they have known would come to a halt.

Prior to the installation of pneumatic tubes or the other popular choice the Lamson Cash Railway System, Many retailers used the not-so-novel system of the "Cash Child". A small boy or girl hired by the store to run the transactions from the selling floor to the cash office and back with the correct change due the customer. Working for what seemed like pennies back then (and probably more so the case) the kids would be exhausted by the end of the day, and let go shortly after the busy season ended. It was only fitting that a new more updated method was needed to assist in transaction processing.

Lamson brass pneumatic tube from the store Scruggs Vandervoort & Barney of St. Louis, MO. Once privately owned, they were absorbed into the Denver Dry Goods Company. DDG was merged into and became part of the Foley's nameplate after a May Company Conversion. Most locations of course are now Macy's.

Gone are the days for these familiar tubes of commerce. Outside of your local bank branch or even at times in a warehouse club, will you rarely find these intricate workings of compressed air, polished brass and good old fashioned ingenuity. Thank god we still have straws!

A Store Grows in Brooklyn!

2007-01-29T17:47:00.000-05:00

In a way, I feel sorry for Brooklyn, NY. In the past century, they have been losing their most precious resources to the bigger and more powerful cities. The Dodgers are long gone, Brooklyn-ese is a dying dialect. Coney Island lost its grandeur of days gone by. They only have one tree! OK, I'm kidding about the tree! And, to make matters worse, Abraham & Straus is now a Macy's!

In 1862, Abraham Abraham, yes, yes, that's his name clerked in Newark's Bettlebeck & Company dry goods store -- along with the future store founders Benjamin Altman & Lyman Bloomingdale. Three years later, he partnered with Joseph Wechesler and opened a dry goods store in Brooklyn. After the Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883, the partners moved their location to Fulton Street, which was housed in the 5 story Wheeler building. Known simply as "Wheeler's Folly", because of the location being so far away from any contemporary commercial center, Abraham sensed that the new bridge would change the business topography of Brooklyn. He was right of course. Abraham also lobbied to bring the New York Subway into Brooklyn, and in 1908 the first subway shoppers from NYC paid their nickles to head to W&A's bargain basement.

Wechesler sold his interest in W&A to the 3 Macy's partners, Isador & Nathan Straus, as well as Charles Webster. Although the store didn't become part of Macy's, it had a close association with the New York giant and shared overseas offices, but Isador Straus kept his eye on A&S. Isador along with his wife Ida, refusing to separate during the crisis, perished on the Titanic's maiden voyage in 1912.

A&S became one of the founding companies of Federated Department Stores in 1929. It expanded across southern New York and New Jersey, as well as Long Island and CT. In 1985 it even opened up in the old Gimbel's building and rivaled its neighbor Macy's one block up. It was the first full line department store opening that New York City has seen in 100 years.

During the late 1980's however, Federated, after absorbing much of the Allied Stores chain, and in 1994 after helping Macy's out of bankruptcy, decided to merge the 2 companies into one. The results obviously phasing out the A&S name for good. Although the Fulton Street store is still functioning as a Macy's today, I think it lacks some of the charm of Abraham & Straus of years gone by.

You're First at G. Fox, So Come to G. Fox First!!!

2007-01-29T00:20:00.000-05:00

The slogans, they are all around us today. That familiar jingle that keeps you humming while you shop. Most everyone over 40 who shopped in these grand emporiums can recall the stores' slogan. Macy's - We're a part of your life!, Feeling Filene's, Bloomingdale's - Like no other store in the world, Jordan Marsh - This is the place! There's more for your life at Sears! Alexander's - How lucky can you get?! A&S...Terrific!, Caldor!, We Make Shopping a Pleasure (For Nick) and of course my favorite above in the title.

Growing up in New Haven, G. Fox was the store you went to on special shopping occasions. Having Hartford roots, the closest one I can recall at the time was in the Meriden Square Mall, while working at Macy's in New Haven, I would venture there more often then I could recall. Whether to browse or to purchase, I found that the service I received from Fox's was far more outstanding than what I got from my employer.

The art-deco masterpiece downtown flagship store was a gem. Eleven floors of luxury and wonderment. Two beauty salons, a fur salon, bridal salon, travel agency, pharmacy, postal office, both Men's and Women's personal shoppers, 2 full-service restaurants, a coffee shop, and a liquor store as well as thousands of items from spools of thread to records, stamps and coins, to the most luxurious furs, linens and designer clothing. From it's earliest days it catered to the CT public graciously and with the grandeur of New York City's emporiums, but managed to keep its hometown New England roots alive. Known for "Serving Connecticut since 1847" it was a marvel of sophistication, offering everything under one roof. G. Fox was to me MANY steps above Macy's and the epitome of style.

Founded in 1847 by Issac & Gershon Fox, the first store in America to sell the first pair of Nylon stockings, and one of the first stores to make home deliveries by wheelbarrow of all things! After a devastating fire in 1917, an 11 floor store was built and was known locally as "Fox's Folly." The new store eventually contained a fully equipped hospital, theatre for community events and invisible glass display windows with full lighting. Stainless steel deco moulded escalators whisked guests up to the upper floors. In the 1940's they opened a "home wares/garden center store" in South Windsor know as FoxMart which sold everything from flower seeds to rose bushes, refrigerators to tractors. The location eventually became one of the merchandise warehouses for Filene's.

Gershon's granddaughter, Beatrice Fox-Auerbach succeeded her father Moses as president of G. Fox in 1938-becoming the first ever woman president of an American department store - and continued in this capacity until her retirement in 1967. Two days prior, the company was affiliated with the May Department Store Company, but still maintained its management and buying offices. It wasn't until the Filene's merger in 1993 that the store lost its glory, business offices and landmark downtown location. In many ways, the May Company both saved and destroyed a CT icon.

The G. Fox building however was given to the city of Hartford by MayCo in 1994 and has been converted into a mixed-use center. Capital Community College has moved in as well as various shops and restaurants. The art-deco interior has been painstakingly restored. Known now as 960 Main, it lacks the hustle and bustle of the retail rush, but still manages to thrill the senses with its beauty.

G. Fox Bags & Collectibles

Boston Area Memories

2007-01-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

Click the above pictures to view more memories from these stores.

Filene's and Jordan Marsh, the names conjure up memories of the New England "Macy's and Gimbel's" rivalry. Two prominent department stores with deep roots in the Boston area.

Filene's, one of the founding companies to what we know today as Federated Department Stores began in 1881. Joining Federated in 1929, Filene's was the first department store to offer a 20% discount to employees, it formed the first credit union, the first to use "cycle billing" and the first to initiate the charge-plate. It was operated by the FDS company until its run in with Campeau in the late 1980's when it was sold to May Company. After its' sale to May, the company was merged with the Hartford based G.Fox and the Filene's name stood.

What I remember being odd though is that the G.Fox company was a FULL line department store, while the Filene's division only sold soft line merchandise. So, within a few years after the merger, Filene's stores needed to be remodeled to accept the hard lines G.Fox carried. In 2005, Federated purchased May and the Filene's banner was again added to its roster, only to be eliminated in 2006 when the name was changed to Macy's.

Jordan Marsh, founded in 1841 sat directly across the street from its rival Filene's. Once considered "New England's Store" it was the head of the Allied Department Stores and had divisions in both New England and in Florida. Famous for its Blueberry Muffins (recipe follows). Jordan Marsh (Allied Stores) was absorbed into the FDS chain, and became a Macy's in 1994 and not to huge fanfare by the Boston market area.

Filene's Basement, originally part of the Filene's chain, famous for its "Running of the Brides" sales, was sold off during the Federated reorganization prior to the May Company purchase of its namesake. Sadly, the main store above the basement, not becoming a Macy's after the Federated merger with May Company was shuttered and is scheduled for remodeling. So the fate of the original basement store is now in the hands of the current owners.

Jordan Marsh's Blueberry Muffins

1/2 cup margarine/butter
2 eggs
2 cups of flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2-1/2 cups blueberries
2 Tablespoons of sugar to sprinkle on top

Cream butter/margarine and sugar at low speed. Add eggs, one at a time. Sift dry ingredients and add alternating with milk. Toss blueberries in flour to coat and add to batter stirring by hand. Pour into prepared muffin tins and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

The Edward Malley Company & Macy's New Haven

2007-01-27T01:17:00.000-05:00

The Edw. Malley Company, or as it was known to the natives "Malley's" was the Premier Department store in downtown New Haven for over 100 years. Established as a small dry goods store in 1852, it quickly grew into a major shopping destination for both New Haven residents and the outskirts as well. Malley's up until the 1960's was perched on the corner of Chapel & Temple Streets directly across from the Green. Although the main intersection was a block down the street, "Meet me at the clock" only meant one thing to the city folk, and that was the corner of Chapel & Temple Streets, directly in front of the main entrance. This was until the redevelopment of the city and the destruction of this glorious store as we knew it. This current location now houses the Chapel Square apartments, retail stores, an office tower and the Omni Hotel.

Malley's facade circa 1945

Malley's interior Main Floor, Chapel Street

1953 Christmas Catalog, notice the Christmas tree above the awning.

Malley's 1954 Christmas catalog, showing its updated logo.

Remember when you purchased a suit or dress and the sales person would put it in one of these zippered vinyl garment bags and NOT cover it with a plastic garbage bag instead like today?

The new Malley's! After the city decided to re-develop its downtown area, the old Malley's was demolished to make way for the new Chapel Square Mall, an office tower and hotel as well as a new to the area Macy's department store. This photo was taken in 1963 just after the Christmas shopping season. The building was located in the block surrounded by Church, George & Temple Streets as well as having a direct exit off of Frontage Road. The store, having 3 above ground and 2 below ground levels was more modern but still had a certain charm.

Notice on the 3rd level the row of windows and the beginning of a walkway, eventually connecting Malley's to the future Macy's which will have been finished a year later. Like most other stores Malley's was purchased by another company (The Outlet Company in Providence, RI) and was forced to close down completely in 1982 because of troublesome times. The only memories now of the store are when you mention "The Malley's Lot" soon to be redeveloped into the new Gateway Community College.

This was the floor directory when the Macy's closed in 1993 and a memory of the department store Santa, long before the malls took over. Originally this store also housed a liquor shop, pharmacy, furniture and major appliance departments. The lower level was also home to Santa for many years and after a clearance center. This Macy's store was the first in CT and held that spot until a new branch opened in Stamford years later around 1981. It wasn't until the late 1980's that the store declined in sales and eventually shuttered. Most of the employees that closed the store were there the day it opened. The building is set for demolition soon, after it is rid of its asbestos and will along with the Malley's lot be the site of the new Gateway College.

These pictures are of the women's shoe and men's shirt departments
of Macy's New Haven during its' "Going out of business sale!"

The only bag I recall from the former Chapel Square Mall.