Thanks John.
I remember my mother taking me downtown on the North Shore line and the L to to Christmas shopping at Marshall-Fields and Carson’s Sad.
John, you hit it out of the ballpark today.
Well written!
Particularly in the last year more and more stores are closing up.At least a third of the retail floor space in this mall is currently vacant.I go there regularly because it's a great place to walk but there's never anyone there...even on Saturdays.
Brick and mortar retail stores are dying...for better or for worse.
Macy’s was stupid to kill the Marshall Field brand. It was a Chicago icon.
Good post.
I was one of those Chicagoans. Many times we took the L downtown and got off at the stop where you could walk into the lower level of Carson's. I remember the café there, the Tartan Tray. Going downtown was always a big treat.
In Boston it was Jordan Marsh and Filenes.
Gone.
What is it?
JUST ABOUT NOBODY WEARS NICE CLOTHES ANYMORE, NOR DO THEY, ADULTS AND CHILDREN, WEAR MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF CLOTHES FOR DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES, AS WAS ONCE THE NORM!
Even before there were department store, even long before the Victorian era introduced "consumerism" for everyone, people of all stripes, extremely wealthy to the very poor had "special" clothes to wear to church or temple. Special clothing for different events...confirmations, weddings, funerals. And then the "modern" era of consumerism hit!
The department stores of the 19th century, both in Europe and in America, were not just a place to buy many different things, all in one place, they represented adventure, a special trip/day out, a place to meet friends, and yes, many of them also had tea rooms and/or restaurants.
Christmas and Easter offered a time to do up the stores big time, offer special lunches, breakfast with Santa and yes, picture taken with Santa and the Easter Bunny.
Until relatively recently, kids had school clothes, play clothes, Sunday "best", and some had work clothes.
For adults, the more wealth, the more one used to need many different outfits for day and evening.
Then, in the late 1960s, the Commies, using the damned "HIPPY MOVEMENT", began, with much force, to get rid of all traditions, manners, normal families ( and by extension, families doing things together ), religion, and the whole idea of GROWING UP!
Today, almost NOBODY wears anything suitable; let alone proper for different occasions!
Then throw in the fact that as the years go by, whomever is designing clothes, are making ugly, unsuitable, trash...at every level!
The whole idea of "special clothes" has long ago gone by the wayside and so, you have people wearing T-shirts and stupid dungarees ( that's "jeans" for you youngsters )to the theatre, to work, everywhere. Heck, there are even people who wear pajamas to grocery stores and on airplanes!
Also, people are far more isolated; they no longer join clubs and spend far more time, all alone, but hooked up to cell phones, laptops, etc. and don't feel the need to bother to look "nice"...even when they ARE out of society.
I remember traveling with my parents as a child. Chicago - we visited Carson, Pirie, Scott and Marshall Field’s. Dallas and trip to Neiman Marcus (I still remember the triple screen TV and the one with a reel-to-reel video recorder built in.) Boston, and an eye opening trip to Filene’s basement - when it really was the basement.
And of course, the Pink Pig the Crystal Bridge at Rich’s in Atlanta.
Part of the problem can be seen im.the responses on this thread. Several cite memories of going to the department store with their parents. Not one has talked about going with their kids.
Great article detailing the demise of the courtesies and formalities of everyday life, in yesteryear.
I remember when Mom used to dress us in our Sunday best, to fly commercial airlines. Have you seen what people where on commercial flights, these days??
OT....how are you enjoying the six months of COLD weather, up there?
Yeah, tell Boston Market about that or Burger Chef.
The big boys are the big boys because they are, over all, well run. And they always feel the hot breath of their competition on their heels.
For later
bump
No mention of the minimum wage. Labor costs are a big part of this...
Our government killed all of that. Makes me tremble with... patriotism.
Sad face. My home town lost a block and half of Main Street downtown — and 41 people — in a gas explosion in 1968. During the rebuild Elder-Beerman came in. It was a bright big city store with *gasp* escalators from the main floor to upstairs. It anchored the downtown reconstruction... sad to see it go.
“Along with Carson’s, we’re likely saying goodbye to Bergner’s, Boston Store, Younkers, Elder-Beerman, and Herberger’s”
First time in my life I’ve ever heard of these stores.