I remember there being two stores, Robinson’s and May Company, both of which were too expensive for my folks to take us shopping there regularly. They later merged to form Robinson’s-May, which was later bought out by Macy’s. Robinson’s-May sucked, as far as expensive dept. stores go; Macy’s sucks a little less.
Dayton’s (who owned Target) bought Hudson’s - years and years and years ago. Dayton’s then bought Marshall Fields, but used the Marshall Field’s name because Marshall Fields was larger. Dayton’s (the corporate entity, not the stores) then became Target Corp and sold off their other brands - Mervyns and Marshall Fields. (They may have never found a buyer for Mervyn’s - I can’t remember - Marshall Fields was sold to Macy’s.
Aaah, Kress. We still have a Kress building - I think it’s going to be lofts. Did you know that Samuel Kress was a huge art collector, and when he died he left parts of his collection to every city that had a Kress store in it? Which is the core collection of the Columbia Museum of Art, as well as I’m sure many others.
We used to have Tapp’s - super-local. I miss it.
I agree, but, we are obviously in the vast minority. Why do you think the McDonalds and the Wal-Marts have taken over the country?
Familiarity. People want, nay demand it. You could be 2,000 miles away from home and decide to stop and get something to eat. Do you want to stop at the local joint and risk having a bad meal, or “Hey, I want Chili’s!”
My wife is on the other side in this debate. When we are on vacation and we talk about where to have dinner, I am looking through the local ads, asking the desk clerk, or keeping my eyes peeled while driving around. My wife wants to go to Olive Garden. Well, fuck me silly. I can go to Olive Garden any day or night of the week at home. When I’m away from home, I want to try some local fare.
But there are several Olive Gardens at every vacation destination to cater to people like my wife.
Back to the OP. That is what killed the local stores. When it comes right down to it, most people don’t care about tasty cheeseburgers, tea rooms, or hot nuts at the candy counter. Sure, these things are nice, and we like them, but save 10 cents at the other store and most people are there in an instant.
We want cheap prices and acceptable merchandise. Just like McDonalds. Not great food, not even good food, but acceptable food which will fill your stomach until the next meal, all at a known reasonable price from Key West, FL to Nome, AK and all points in between. It’s a brave new world…
First Jordan Marsh, then Filene’s. Those were the anchors of Boston retail shopping. My mother would always comparison shop between the two, as would everyone else, so they were always competitive. People were upset when Jordan Marsh went away, but felt that they had an alternative in Filene’s. My sister-in-law worked as a department manager for Filene’s and had customers tell her that they would never shop at Macy’s for taking over a Boston institution. Probably that Red Sox/Yankees spirit at work there. And then went Filene’s, and SIL is now a Macy’s employee. She tells me that they will have occasional visits from NY management staff, and they are incredibly rude, dismissive and arrogant. It was as if it pained the royalty to visit the provinces.
And Macy’s has a policy of trying not to stock lines that can be purchased elsewhere. I asked her about Levis, for example, and she said that they wouldn’t carry them because they were carried by other retail stores. “What other stores are left?”, I asked. I don’t know if that is strictly enforced, but I do know that some of my favorite neckties’ manufacturers aren’t carried anymore.
Although I do give Macy’s a lot of credit in keeping an eye on turning over their stock. They detest keeping things on the floor if they aren’t selling, and so they are always dropping prices to get them out the door. If you see something you like and are willing to wait, it will probably come down in price if no one buys it.
Just don’t get me started on Grover Cronin’s or Park Snowe’s…
I was coming into this thread to say the same thing!!! That’s what I get for being too busy this week. 
I also miss the Simpson’s downtown store here in Regina. It wasn’t Christmas until you went downtown to see the windows at Simpson’s.
When I was a small kid, growing up in the '50s in suburban Cleveland, there were no department stores out in the 'burbs. If you needed to do any non-food shopping, you had to go downtown, where there were at least a dozen department stores, all different.
And of course back then you didn’t just hop on public transportation without getting dressed up first. My mother would wear a smart suit or dress, a hat (sometimes with a veil) and kid gloves, nylons and heels. Yeah, just to go shopping.
Each store had its own restaurant, many designed back in the art deco period. And they served damn good food, with amazing desserts.
And the Christmas decorations: there was a huge competition each year, and they just got better and better. One store had a central atrium, and they had the most gigantic tree I’ve ever seen, then or since . . . way bigger than the one in Rockefeller Center.
Then they started building department stores in the 'burbs, and one by one, over the years, the downtown ones closed.
Actually, Marshall Field’s bought Hudson’s. Macy’s bought Marshall Field’s. There may be one other name-change in there somewhere, but I can’t remember.
Has something happened to Nordstrom’s? NOOOOO! I hate shopping, especially for clothes, but Nordstrom’s is tons better than Macy’s with their byzantine crowded narrow aisles and merchandise strewn all over. Plus you have to practically beg someone to take your money. Nordstrom’s you can get sales help that is genuinely helpful, and free alterations even if you’re a woman.
And yes, I miss when we had more choices.
MLS, as far as I know Nordstrom’s hasn’t changed. Not sure what BMalion is talking about.
When Nordstrom’s opened a huge new store in Chicago it was big news. I resisted going there for quite a while out of loyalty to Marshall Fields. The famous State St. store wasn’t perfect, it was a bit serpentine and congested in spots and it showed it’s age, but it was a Chicago landmark and institution, not to mention a tourist attraction. While by most accounts the Nordstrom’s store was better many Chicagoans including myself stuck with Fields. I always felt good walking out of there with my Green bags. When Macy’s bought the brand some people’s loyalty faltered. Then when they made the irreparable mistake of moving the Frango production to Pennsylvania even more people stopped going and saw the new ownership as evil. Then when the final blow fell and they dropped the name there was outright hatred of Macy’s in Chicago. Needless to say I’m happy to take my business to Nordstrom’s now.
Marshall Field’s bought Frederick & Nelson and Frango (then Franco, prior to the dictator’s rise) in 1929.
Me too.
I loved that store when I was a kid. I always thought it was so neat. Sort of like a drug store with everything and then some.
They had great milkshakes.
My mother got her first sewing machine at a large department store in downtown Cleveland. I think it was the May Company. She saw an ad in the paper and she rushed down there, on a bus, as the first customer of the day and got a free Singer sewing machine. She lugged that heavy thing all the way back on the bus as well.