Nordstrom? What was your favorite department store?

Nordstrom was once known for its Client Care/Customer Service--

It seems to have a massive selection- from Macy's level to top designers- which no one else has---It is probably on the level of Bloomingdales, which is just below Saks/Neiman/Bergdorfs....

I saw a video recently (A Nordtrom in AZ?) and I was shocked by that particular store- It looked worse than many Macy's-- It looked so cheap and I had never a seen a Nordstrom that looked like that

Bruce and his sister own the majority of Nordstrom stock.

Mr. Bruce's net worth is $1B.

Nordstrom is going to be bought out going private.

I liked them all, but especially Lord & Taylor.

R1 I had a very pretty young friend - she had the Natalie Wood Look. She worked at Nordstrom and did the whole “customer care” thing and wound up marry a big Hollywood studio executive. They have been married about 30 years now (WHERE does time go!). I always think of her when I hear about Nordstroms.

Damn!!! Lucky lady! Did she work at that one in the OC??

No - I think she was in Beverly Hills. She was a smart cookie - and it has lasted so good for her. So many new shopping centers have cropped up out here in the last 30 years - so much has changed.

Growing up in Chicago, I always have had a soft spot for Marshall Field and Company.

It’s Nordstrom not Nordstroms. Get it right.

So many department stores from my childhood have disappeared

Gimbels

Grants

Kleins

John Wanamakers

Bonwit Teller

B Altman & Co

Sears

Bradlees

Caldor

Abraham & Strauss

r7, I'm from Chicago too, and MF was a magical place. The department stores that rival that today are the Galleries Layfayette, and Harrods.

I remember when I was a kid Palais Royal was more upscale. Now it looks more like a discount store. My mother would shop at Sakowitz sometime but us kids got Sears or Joske's and Foley's. Now all gone.

Before Nordstrom in Southern CA we had a posh department store chain called Buffums. I loved it dearly, the Long Beach, Marina Pacifica, Lakewood, Palos Verdes and Laguna Hills stores. Too bad it didn't make it past 1990, they had great service and higher end brands than (then) Robinsons or May Company (which became Robinsons-May, taken over by Macy's).

The only time I ever rode the monorail in Seattle was to go to Nordstrom to buy shoes, maybe 25 years ago. I still have them.

Harrods is absolutely stunning. Garish and over the top- But an EXPERIENCE. Its really stunning-

I do like Selfridges as well-

I wandered through Bergdorf a couple times and I always felt totally out of place. And I was! I've wandered around Harrod's too and even though it was unbelievably expensive, I mean, ...I never felt out of place. My favorite department store was Bonwit Teller. I loved Saks too, back in the 80's. Now Nordstrom's is my favorite. But I rarely shop there. I shop at Nordstrom's Rack or Off 5th. as a retiree I have to spend carefully.

Marzipan is disgusting but I will never forget how beautiful it looked at Marshall Field’s at Christmastime.

For some reason, I don't "get" Nordstrom; even though it's within walking distance, I can count on one hand the number of times I've shopped there. It never seems to be busy whenever I pass by, unlike the TJMaxx across the street.

Bergdorf reigns supreme.

r9 Sears is still hanging on. There are a few stores left.

r6 There's never been a Nordstrom in Beverly Hills.

R18- There were two Sears stores near me they are both out of business.

Though it’s an anchor of many malls I never thought of Nordstrom as a true department store since they only sell clothes and shoes. Bloomingdale’s for example sells housewares, furniture, etc.

I worked at Selfridge’s as an exchange student back before it went to a mainly high fashion store. They even had a hardware department in the basement selling paint and hammers and everything else (where I unfortunately was placed. There was a food store, books, stationery, appliances and everything else. A bygone era now.

Jelmoli on Bahnhofstrasse Zurich, dead, this year. Galeries Lafayette has narrowly avoided bankruptcy a few times recently. I don't think it will be around in 10 years.

I remember when Selfridge’s had everything. When I moved to Switzerland in the 90s Swiss department stores had everything, too. No more.

Nordstrom sells make up and accessories and home goods t oo. Not just shoes and clothes. But to be honest, when I was shopping for men's wear, Brooks Brothers was my Go to store.

R12: I loved Robinson's, too. Bullock's (California) was another one.

[quote]Though it’s an anchor of many malls I never thought of Nordstrom as a true department store since they only sell clothes and shoes. Bloomingdale’s for example sells housewares, furniture, etc.

Back in the day, when these things mattered more, i.e., the 1970s and before, the distinction was made between what were called specialty stores, which sold clothing, shoes, and cosmetics, and department stores, which sold those things, and also housewares and furniture. The specialty stores included Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, B. Altman, Neiman-Marcus, Bonwit-Teller, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf-Goodman, etc. The department store names you know, or knew, were Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Marshall Field, Frederick & Nelson, the Bon Marché, Wanamaker's, Woodward & Lothrop, the Hecht Company, etc.

I always liked the department stores more. I liked seeing the rooms that changed each season in Bloomingdale's furniture department, and as a dish queen, the china and silver departments. I used to spend my lunch hour, and some Saturdays, looking at these things, particularly at Bloomingdale's and Frederick & Nelson.

Google "department stores v. specialty stores" for more info.

Old school big downtown department stores used to have things like post offices, book departments, shoe repair, travel agencies, major appliances, televisions and stereos, etc. Those days are long gone. Most department stores today have clothing, cosmetics, linens, luggage, and housewares. A few have furniture.

Nordstrom is a higher end department store since they sell luxury brands as well as more affordable merch.

Mama once bought a silver fox fur coat at Bonwit. On sale.

Alexander's (on Fordham Road in the Bronx) was a popular NYC department store back in the day.

R.I.P.

Woolworth and Kmart. I have exceptionally good childhood memories with my Nana at each of them. They both seemed, at the time, like the biggest, most wonderful places that had everything that I could possibly ever want.

Filene's and Filene's Basement in Boston

Frederick and Nelson with the Rhododendron Room in Bellevue and the Frango mints. The elegance and smell of pine at Christmas at the Seattle store with Christmas lights imported exclusively from Italy and the strolling minstrels. The great window displays and waiting to see Santa—magical.

The Bellevue store had built in doggy bars—stone troughs with water outside the store for dogs. The men’s suits department had a wonderful salesman and relative named Preben Hoegh-Christensen from Denmark who was excellent. I miss the store very much.

I also miss the old Nordstrom-Best with excellent service and quality clothing.

My favorite was B. Altman because it was a time capsule when other department stores had all updated. It didn't have much of a selection that interested me, though it was good for gifts for others. The building itself was amazing. (Stills stands, of course.)

Forgot the link.

And fun fact for those from Seattle: I used to perform (dance) at the Christmas Breakfast for kids every Saturday during the holiday season. First we’d walk among the tables and talk to the kids, then perform, then the kids would come and dance and sing Christmas carols with us. Maybe one of you attended!

My mother mourned the closing of Henri Bendel on 5th ave several years ago. Was her favorite store.

There is nowhere to shop now. Everything is sweatshop garbage anyway.

Bullock's (in Southern California) used to be my go-to store for young men's clothing .. usually shopped at the stores in Westwood, Century City, or Sherman Oaks.

Altman's...B. Altman & Co.

In a class of its own.

Mervyns

I miss Sears. They're gone in Canada. I particularly liked their furniture which was higher end stuff than what's around here now, and they had great sales. They also had great quality menswear and of course, the Craftsman brand. Someone else carries Craftsman here now (Rona?) but it's not the same.

Sears left a huge void in the Canadian retailing landscape (which is impoverished compared to the US) that was never filled.

r37 Candace Bergen helped me pick out clothes from Calvin Klein's new men's line, at Bullock's in Century City sometime in 1978.

When Ohrbach's closed on 34th street I bought a dozen huge mirrors and put them all over my Brooklyn apartment. I was good looking and a narcissist so loved looking at myself and also loved moving light through an apartment with mirrors.

Now I'm old and fug and have almost no mirrors in my homes.

Bonwits at the Miracle Mile in Manhasset NY...love that store. I worked in B Altman’s across the street from BT

Robinsons and Bullocks!

[quote] I don't "get" Nordstrom; even though it's within walking distance, I can count on one hand the number of times I've shopped there. It never seems to be busy whenever I pass by, unlike the TJMaxx across the street.

I don't get TJ Maxx. I know it's popular, but the one in my area just seems to be full of cast-offs.

When I lived in San Francisco, all of the well-known department stores were still open. I ate at the Rotunda Room in Neiman Marcus once or twice. So nice.

However, if I have to pick the store that actually had stuff that I needed (and could afford), that would be Macy's in Union Square. Sounds boring, but it was a good store.

Y'all we need to stop this whole craze of Fast Fashion and cheap goods flooding the markets. Buy used shit from consignment stores or eBay because the quality is better and you will be doing something good for the environment.

It's just not that easy to buy vintage online because the sites are FLOODED with crap and also the sellers are often very desperate and deceptive in their descriptions and photos. It's can become deeply annoying when it's not depressing wading through all the crap that people think has value.

Woodward & Lothrop (Woodies) was a regional department store in Washington, D.C. and with locations in Northern VA and Maryland. They closed the flagship store back in 1995. It was a really neat store that I remember well. There were other similar stores of that era but Woodies held the top spot.

R12 Buffums was not posh. It was below the level of I Magnin, Bullock’s Wilshire and Bullock’s. It was closer to Robinson’s or, dare I say it, The Broadway.

R50! The Broadway? Gasp. How dare you.

I guess I thought it was posh. I loved the mid century styling and what they carried, but again I'm from the suburbs.

Long Beach / OC “posh” if you squint really hard…but no.

Bullock’s Wilshire was the closest thing to Bergdorf’s.

I remember in the 80s and 90s when the small local department stores were dying. Ahead of the big chains. Sad. but they were sometimes filled with old stock from storage and I found great quality that was no longer available, even in the 80s and 90s. Cashmere and linen of a quality unheard of in "middle class" products. I was taking road trips around America and would stumble on these places in dying downtowns of small towns.

I drove through Eastern Germany after the Wall fell. The cities had communist department stores cleaning out their meagre goods. Some of the shops were themselves rather stylish, dating from decades earlier.

I'm a big fan of Beall's Outlet.

I miss these department stores. Market weeks in the fashion industry were exciting when the buyers from these stores were in town. There was such excitement inn the air that no longer exists. John Wanamaker, I. Magnin, Bonwit Teller are stores I miss.

I was raised in B. Altman and Neiman-Marcus (which used to be Bergdorff Goodman) but my mom was also a fan of Alexander’s which I loved. They used to have center aisle display bins with drawers that you would root through to find your size.

As an adult, I loved Lord & Taylor.

I fell out of love with Nordstrom a couple of years ago due to terrible customer service.

I placed an order for a $25 Kiehl's skincare product. I received a $145 Erno Laszlo product.

I was immediately bombarded with phone calls from them but didn't know the unknown number was Nordstrom so I ignored the calls. When I finally did pick up to find out who was hounding me, a snippy woman demanded I not open the item and they were sending UPS to retrieve it and they would send my Kiehl's AFTER the Erno item was received unused. Treating me like I'm a fucking criminal and I messed up. They didn't offer to give me the Kiehl's for free or any kind of discount or Nordstrom Notes or whatever. Just sent me a bag of "deluxe" samples that were of no use to me as they were women's perfumes and highly fragranced skincare and I only use fragranced free skincare. Assholes.

I told the story here and a DLer/lawyer said I was under no obligation to return the Erno Laszlo item, it was addressed to my name at my address and it was therefore, mine! Good to know for any future such mix ups.

We had a department store in downtown Santa Monica called Henshey's. It was built in 1925 and was in business until 1992.

It was a five-story building with two basement levels - kind of art deco looking originally. At some point in the 60's, they put this strange "moderne" siding on the building that covered up all the upper windows (photo below). The store was also extended in two directions. They took over a smaller building to the south, then built another one-story addition to the east. The former was home furnishings, while the latter became the men and boys' department.

The store had the typical display windows on the street level, which they'd really do up at Christmastime. The main (old) elevator had an actual person operating it until the very end. The store was also outfitted with pneumatic tubes, so clerks on any level could communicate by sending messages and paperwork to the managers on the top floor. We kids found this high-tech gizmo SOOOO fascinating .. lol

Even into the 80s, if I wanted to get concert tickets, I'd go there, because a lot of people didn't know that the store had an old Ticketron counter inside, so the line was usually very short and you could get really good seats when tickets first went on sale.

At some point, the building became a Toys R Us. Since 2006, it's been an REI, but they just closed this location down in February 2024.

[quote]When I lived in San Francisco, all of the well-known department stores were still open. I ate at the Rotunda Room in Neiman Marcus once or twice. So nice.

If you were there when it was Neiman-Marcus, you're a newcomer. That spot was occupied by the venerable City of Paris, where we'd go to see the Christmas tree every year. Other long-gone SF department stores: The White House, The Emporium. Specialty stores: Livingston's, H. Liebes, Roos-Atkins, Grodin's, Hastings.

R58, that's no way to treat a customer! I will still shop at Nordstrom (online) just because I live in the hinterlands and they are easy to do returns with.

Does anyone remember Hecht's? It was a regional dept. store chain in the DC / VA / Maryland, etc., area. It was a pretty good store.

Hecht's was owned by the May Co. (at least when I knew it -- late '70s into the '80s.) It actually started in the Baltimore area, along with Baltimore's chains Hochschild-Kohn, Hamburger's, and Hutzler's. (Four stores that all had 'H' names.)

Belk. In North Carolina, every 70s and 80s teen would have been named without Belk.

Also, Rich's in Atlanta.

Naked without Belk

May D&F

In the winter my big sister would take my brother and me to ice skate in Zeckendorf Plaza.

R57 N-M was never B-G. You are 100% wrong. The were separately overrated by a single parent company—that is all.

*operated

[quote]I'm from Chicago too, and MF was a magical place. The department stores that rival that today are the Galleries Layfayette, and Harrods.

Italy's fabulous Rinascente. In Milan , Rome, Torino, Florence...

Has the bustle and buzz of US department stores of the past.

(the title says "mall" but no, it's a department store.)

Rinascente is meh. A clear second fiddle to the Golden Triangle, but a true nightmare during Christmas week.

Bloomingdale’s is better than Rinascente. You might as well post about the FABULOUS El Corte Inglés…🥺

This topic is like the movie Ground Hog’s Day

It will always be Woodward & Lothrop for me. At Tysons.

Up north there was Steiger’s. Kinda smaller, pretty local around Springfield, MA.

In my grandmother’s little town, there was Leggett’s. Larger locations became Belk. In the small towns, these stores just went away completely.

Carson’s

I grew up on Rich's in Atlanta. Loved that store and it still saddens me to know it's but another one gobbled up by the evil Federated conglomerate. Rich's was the only store I ever knew that would take anything back for a store credit, no matter where it came from. The customer was always right at Rich's.

And Rich's was my first credit card.

My favorite was Jordan Marsh.

Famous-Barr

Goldfinkle’s

Succhoff’s

Oh please, Bloomingdale’s is gloomy, trashy and empty. La Rinascente is class.

Bloomingdales in NYC looks like 1979. And not in a good way.

Bergdorf is Bergdorf because there is only one in the world. I used to work there. One of the Nordstrom family was a client of mine there and she asked me not tell anyone she was shopping there. She bought like a 12k bag.

But was it actually a 12K bag?

R80 that’s not any word used in Italian…and, if it were, no one in Milan would define class shopping by a chain dept. store.

Scruggs, Vandervoort and Barney.

[quote] that’s not any word used in Italian

You know nothing about the Italian language then.

The English word "class" is indeed used in Italian.

However, if anything, the Italians would describe La Rinascente as a "grande magazzino di qualita' "

R11

Fellow Houstonian? I actually modeled for Sakowitz as a little’un. And can still sing the “Foley’s -OF COURSE!” jingle.

My favorite store ever is Selfridge’s. Absolutely divine.

I’m a Nordstrom shopper. Have been for 30+ years. Whenever I needed new suits or work clothes, the Nordstrom men’s department at San Francisco Centre was my go-to. The service was always courteous and excellent. I usually tried to save that sort of shopping for the Half-Yearly and Anniversary Sales. There was one sales associate there — I forget his name — but he always remembered me, the styles I liked and my sizes. I’m not a high spender and have never used their personal shoppers, he just remembered or made note of things the first time I shopped with him. Customer service like that is so special and rare these days. I moved away from SF a few years ago, but it’s still heartbreaking that the SF Centre store is closed forever. Not that long ago, I’d have thought the notion of that store closing as absurd. Impossible. Alas, c’est la vie.

I just bought a couple new suits at the Century City Nordstrom last fall. R19, I assume this is probably the store that R6 has in mind. Anyway, the service was as excellent as I remember.

When I was a kid, our family piled into the car every December to go "downtown" to Higbee's to shop for Christmas, see Santa, and have a then-ostentatious meal at the Silver Grille. It was the *only* place Mom would buy presents for Dad's mom. My brother and I disappeared for hours every time; it was quite a place for a couple country boys to get lost in for a day.

In grad school at Ohio State, I shopped at Lazarus downtown. Like Higbee's, it was a seven (?) floor department store that stocked everything. Even then, they still used the pneumatic tubes to send charge slips up to the credit department for approval.

When I moved to SoCal thirty years ago, I settled on Bloomingdale's at Century City. By 2000, though, it no longer stocked the huge variety of merchandise it had before. As somebody already said, clothing, cosmetics, home wares, luggage, etc.

Harrods and Selfridge's are spectacular and I can spend an entire day in each when I'm in London. To me, however, the grand old dames of city department stores are Stockmann, which still has a hardware department, massive grocery department, and virtually anything one might need, in Helsinki, and NK in Stockholm, which is similarly well stocked as Stockmann. In Spain, I always make time to shop at El Corte Inglés. Last time, I needed to buy a new power pack/charger for my MacBook, which they had in stock. I ended up with that and a bunch of seasonings from the grocery floor.

As for Nordstrom, it was a great place to find suits and shoes back in the day. Alterations were done in house and were always perfect. Shoes were top notch and always in stock in my size 14. Sadly, the last time I shopped at Nordstrom, the shoe department was stocking the same crap you can get from Zappos at twice the price; men's suits were all mediumish R sizes (I wear a 58L, which they used to carry).

[quote] it’s still heartbreaking that the SF Centre store is closed forever.

That is sad, indeed.

The Stonestown Mall (down by SFSU) isn't closed, but it was struggling for a while. It seems to be doing better (?). There's an Apple store and a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Target, See's Candies (!), Shake Shack, and Daiso. So, looks like they did roll with the times.

In another thread, I said that, when I was in London, I ended up finding Selfridge's to be a more useful store than Harrod's.

Sad to hear that Galleries Lafayette (Paris) is in trouble.

Yes r83 it was a Chanel Crystal evening box clutch that was 12k. She said she gets a discount on the items usually but Nordstrom didn’t have this particular bag and Bergdorf did, and she wanted it.

R86 Rinescente is like a Bloomingdales level department store in Italy. They don’t even have Chanel outside of perfume, makeup and sunglasses. At least the Bloomingdales 59th st carries the entire world of Chanel from makeup, shoes, bags, ready to wear. Even though all Chanel stores inside department stores are leased, you still have to be at a certain level to have one of their boutiques in your store. I don’t think Rinescente even has Dior in their Milan store. But I’m not sure.

Luisa Via Roma in Florence is pretty cool though. They carry the same designers Barney’s used to carry.

Walmart.

R90 I went to Higbees as a kid too to see Santa downtown in the Terminal Tower. I remember being terrified of those old wooden escalators that looked like meat grinders - BUT it was what you had to endure to get to Santa…

[quote]but he always remembered me, the styles I liked and my sizes. I’m not a high spender and have never used their personal shoppers, he just remembered or made note of things the first time I shopped with him.

I am not saying this was the case in you’re situation R89, since you shopped for so long, but CRM (customer relations management) software is so advanced in ways that the average customer doesn’t know. I worked at Bergdorf and we all had company issued iPhones. You could track everything your client purchased in the past, anywhere in the company (BG and parent company Neimans). You could see their yearly spend, total lifetime spend. You can see ALL transactions online and in store. You can see all returns. You can see what type of shopper a client is - Sale vs New Arrival, Seasonal. Birthday reminders would pop up with suggestions of current stock that compliments previous purchases. You can even see items clients have left in their shopping carts online. Even with all of this info, it still takes a good sales associate to act on it. Most can’t be bothered to even pay attention to it.

And Bergdorf IS the best department store in the world. I’ve worked in a lot of places but it really IS the Harvard of retail. Associates in the top departments make a killing 250-400k a year, even in this economy. I left after covid, moved out of the country. But all my friends are having the best years of their careers… of course.

I loved Bullocks back in the day, I particularly loved their home decor and table top departments.

Another vote for Lord n Taylor.

[quote]They don’t even have Chanel outside of perfume, makeup and sunglasses.

R99 did you read the article? Do you subscribe to WWD? The article details a Chanel takeover in the MAKEUP department. I said the carry makeup. They don’t carry ready-to-wear, shoes or handbags. That’s where Chanel’s billions come from. You can’t be a top Department store without Chanel handbags. You just can’t claim it.

Jordan Marsh

Nordstrom is the best. They had trendier funkier clothes alongside higher priced standard brands. I hope they come back. Or the erosion of the middle class can continue so that everything everywhere is on,y to be bought by psychotic billionaires.

FOLLIES!

in a department store

The Neiman Marcus in the town where I used to live had the best bathrooms in that mall.

r66 you are wrong at least as for a physical store, it used to be Bergdorff Goodman and then Neiman-Marcus in that physical location. But I think in the 80s they were owned by the same parent company

I grew up in Massachusetts, just north of Boston. Two department stores stand out: Filene's and Jordan Marsh. Both, as often happens, no longer exist. But when I moved to the Albany (NY) area, I discovered a terrific department store that reminded me of Jordan Marsh. It's called Boscov's. It is a true department store with a wedding gift boutique, a candy section and a department strictly for bedding and linens.

Of course, in some cities, Macy's still offers a wide variety of merchandise, including furniture.

Where I am in New Orleans, the historical department stores were Maison Blanche and D.H. Holmes, respectively, mid-level department stores. Maison Blanche's flagship store still stands as a Ritz-Carlton today. The flagship D.H. Holmes is also a higher-end hotel.

Personally, as a younger guy, I love looking at the '60s Penneys catalogs and photos of what the Penneys stores looked like in the 1960s. For some reason, my neurodivergence just can't get enough. Would've loved to have seen one of those in the 1960s. It just seems like the ultimate mid-century place to go in Middle Class America at the time.

R105 what are you talons g about? The post that R66 corrected said nothin about a particular location

*talking

And you keep misspelling the store’s name…

R86 But Italians don’t use that phrase for Rinascente, because it isn’t…

My main memory of a department store is when my mother got a department store credit card and excitedly showed it to me. I was a small child. “I thought you already had one?” “I had one in daddy’s name. This one has MY name on it.” I don’t even remember which store it was. Probably JCPenney. But it’s always struck me how LATE it came that a woman could have a charge card in her own name.

Depended on where I was living or visiting often.

I never got the appeal of Nordstrom. Customer service? Outwardly it seemed only a bit better than the other big chain department stores, but I was easy to fit for clothes and never return anything, so it didn't seem any better than other "better" sorts of stores. The selection was at various times okay for men's clothing, depending on time. It wasn't s first choice.

I always liked the best old luxury name department stores in whatever city. If they were not too big (too many stores), they tended to have great staff and selection and made for a good experience. The mahogany paneling and beautiful display counters with their old fittings and dining rooms in some cases allowed making a nice experience of something you knew was already mostly gone from the world. Staff would remember you from previous visits, they would suggest things that you were actually pleased for the appropriateness of the recommendation.

The old Bergdorf Goodman was the best of the lot. B. Altman was good for its time capsule 19thC emporium architecture. Sak's in a pinch (it seemed more escalators than store.) Selfridge's I always liked though too busy. Garfinkel's in Washington DC had a simple elegance with the clipped corners of its exterior carried into the interior columns and fittings and display cases. In the same city Woodward & Lothrop's main store in creamy glazed terracotta with a chaotic,ramshackle interior had the full range of department store goods: furniture, lighting, kitchenware, a bit of hardware, etc. was good when you didn't know where else to find some odd thing. Where I live now there is one department store name in most cities, but old fashioned in it's huge scope (furniture, optometry, travel, clothing, books and stationery, groceries, kitchen and housewares, pet goods, garden, gourmet foods, lunch rooms...a whole gamut sort of store with very good service and known for treating its staff well. Almost always on the brink of some bold move to try to keep the engine running amidst change.

R105 a failed experiment in WP that lasted only a few years doesn’t mean that N-M was B-G. They were separate entities with the same corporate owner.

I had a friend who went to work for the FBI in Washington DC.. Every time we'd talk all he'd do is rave about 'Woodward & Lothrop' or 'Woodies' as he called it. The first time I visited we went to their big downtown store and I was left wondering what the hell the panic about this place is all about. There's not one thing special about this joint. Then they went bust, and the rest is history.

The men’s department at my local Neiman Marcus is full of the most garish label-clad clothing imaginable. The men’s shoe department is full of ridiculous $900 sneakers that look like clown shoes. And it’s impossible to walk through the store without passing through the massive make-up and fragrance department and get attacked by aggressive salespeople. The experience is unpleasant and I’ve given up going.

Bamberger's

R115, yes, there was nothing special about Woodward & Lothrop except that it held onto the old concept of department store after others had narrowed their focus. Their stock was very middle of the road; by the end of its run it was barely that, barely distinguished from its replacement in the form of Macyś.

Hall's in Kansas City, MO (a Hallmark Cards company)

You know, I have to say I have always enjoyed shopping at BI-MART. No matter what I am feeling like on any given day, I am always satisfied at BI-MART.

r116 you've aged out

BONTON

Neiman Marcus Group owns Bergdorf Goodman. Neiman Marcus Group is Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Horchow. Bergdorf Goodman is their crown jewel and they have refused to sell it because it is what’s keeping them afloat. NMG has been on the verge of bankruptcy for several years.

Neiman Marcus Group owns Bergdorf Goodman. NMG is Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf and Horchow. Bergdorf Goodman is NMG’s crown jewel and they refuse to sell it because it’s what’s keeping them afloat. NMG has been on the verge of bankruptcy for several years. Covid almost did them in.

Say that again, three times fast. 😵‍💫

It was irrelevant the first two times.

Is Horchow still a good source of chinoiserie for modestly successful gays in the carriage trades to decorate their garçonnières?

I picture r125 typing in the mirror while smirking a shit-eating, self-satisfied grin as he fires off one liners. “Take that internet!”

R127 I knew Regen Horchow. Regen Horchow was a friend of mine. You are no Regen Horchow.

Jordan Marsh ( the Florida based Allied Division). Growing up in Orlando Florida in the 1960s and 1970s Jordan Marsh in Orlando Colonial Plaza was the store to shop at. I remember buying my first pair of Calvin Klein jeans at the at then outrageous price of $37 and also purchasing my first Izod Jersey for $40. I would proudly wear these when I went to the Parliament House on Saturday night to dance. Typically would spend somewhere between 50 to 75% of my weekly paycheck I made working at one of the tourist attractions at this store. As a child growing up in the 1960s the toy department was like being at Disneyland especially at Christmas time! These stores were merchandised with more of a northeastern feel than a southern field like Burdines. An elder gay salesperson befriended me in the men's department and would help me shop for clothing and set aside things for me until I got paid. Back then shopping was an experience unlike today where it's more of a chore dealing with uncouth loudmouth people and sales people not engaged with the customer. It's sad what has happened to the retail environment

No one cares about the Florida Jordan Marsh.

The post at R129 is sweet with a personal touch.

r130 The Golden Girls did.

You care about fictional characters’ preferred dept. store? How odd.

Jordan Marsh when visiting Boston and Bullock's Wilshire when in Los Angeles.

Great memories, especially at Christmas.

Is Jordan Marsh the Academy Museum now?

I prefer shoplifting for my lingerie, hoop skirts, and accessories at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. My gentleman callers expect me to be eloquent and very fashionable, and I don’t disappoint.

R134 unless you’re doing legal research, skip B-W the next time you’re in LA.

There is a restaurant in DTLA called Cicada that is what was once a department store from the 20's- C.C. Desmond's Department Store. They kept all the interior woodwork and lighting, and you can even see the display cabinets and drawers in the walls.

r133 Are you new here?

Always the little fucker. I remember fighting with my neighbor (the mom)

I hung out with my neighbors all the time (I was an only child)

They were from Florida and moved to the New England

Anyway, we had this GHASTLY shitbox of a department store in New England called Rich's. (Even at the age of 10 I knew I did not want to be seen there and that we were enemies. I was MENS FASHION) It made "Bradlees" look fancy.

She tried to tell me that this Rich's was the same higher end Rich's from Atlanta mentioned above.

I had to school this lady that that DUMP that was Rich's in New England had no relation to the Rich's in Atlanta.

But I went with them to Rich's and me and her daughter acted like little cunts.

It was fun.

TO THE NEW ENGLAND? Fuck it.

Fuck me. Her daughter and I?

I ruined my entire story with shitty grammar.

(r136) No, the Museum was formerly The May Company.

R136 there was never a Jordan Marsh in LA…. What you smoking’?

R145 There was one, though, in San Diego back in the 1950's which never made sense to me. Or them, apparently, as it closed after two years.

Which has nothing to do with L.A. ….

It's a tie between Beane's of Boston and Grace Bros.

r145, I skimmed r134's comment and thought that they visited both Jordan Marsh and Bullocks in L.A. When I saw the pic of JM, the window treatment looked a lot like the May building's round gold whatever that is.

Meier & Frank was big in the Norhwest. Their flagshp store was in downtown Portland, Oregon.

When I was in grad school at the University of Oregon in Eugene, we'd shop at the Meier & Frank store at the Valley River mall. It was a very strange-looking building, soooo 60's. I believe May Co. had already bought them, but operated the stores as a separate unit retaining the name. At some point Macy's bought May Co. and today the store operates as a Macy's.

There was another department store in the downtown area of Eugene called The Bon Marché. It's flagship store and headquarters was in Seattle. I rarely went there. It was also acquired by Federated (Macy's) and for awhile operated as Bon-Macy's. Another defunct department store.

I miss the restaurants (usually dark, low lighting) that department stores used to have.

Assy’s

We didn’t have a Nordstrom’s so I assumed they were kind of fancy. We shopped at the ones that are gone or almost gone (sears, Mervyn’s, and Montgomery Wards). I was obsessed with Arizona jeans so I was really into JC Penny’s for awhile.

I love these names- Especially "City of Paris"!!! Was it high end?

I do know it was featured in the classic film The Conversation, filmed ON LOCATION in San Franciiiissscoooo..

Harvey Nichols is my favorite department store, hands down.

...

Takashimaya was an incredibly interesting and expensive store. The flower shop on the ground floor was the best in NYC.

I love department stores in general and am sorry so many are disappearing.

I remember hearing a story about Nordstrom’s legendary customer service and generous return policy, probably apocryphal, in which a clerk accepted a return of a full set of automobile tires, offering a full refund. Nordstrom’s does not and never has sold tires.

I haven't thought about Takashimaya in decades. I remember the flowers. Then there was Shanghai Tang, but not a department store really. Remember that huge Versace store?

Damn, there really were a lot of department stores across the U.S., many (or most) are all gone now.

Garfinkle’s

Boscov’s

Von Maur

Kennedy's downtown Boston

Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor in Boston.

Thankfully Saks is still there. L&T is sadly gone.

Still in Boston...

"Louis," the classiest, most elegant, tailored men's store ever. Loved it when Louis was located in Back Bay in the old Bonwit Teller building, just gorgeous.

The death knell was when Louis moved to the new Seaport District too soon. Seaport was not developed enough at the time and too much out of the way for foot traffic. Tragic that it closed.

Scully & Scully - Park Avenue, NYC

I like Macys. The others have been gone so ong I forgot them.

For NoPalmOil - I don’t remember this jingle, but remember JCPenney’s jingle! jCPenney’s changes with you!

Did modeling pay well?

[quote]Garfinkle’s

Garfinckel's.

Bullock's Lakewood was beautifully designed (though it might not look so in the pic). Inside, the ceilings were high, the place was airy, the merchandise was clearly "for the better sort," and it just felt magnificent to walk in and be there. It was a tragedy when they razed that beautiful building.

The Pasadena Bullock's (now Macy's) is still around and is a beautiful piece of architecture and design.

The LA area’s deadest of the dead malls. What’s so funny is that on The Broadway’s wiki page, the main photo is of the Hawthorne branch…I worked there one summer and over several school holiday breaks in college. It was outdated the day it opened, and it actually accelerated the decline of Hawthorne’s “downtown”—rather than saving it.

I grew up in Cleveland and basically grew up in Randall Park Mall with it's Higbees and MayCo. I think at some point it was the biggest mall in the country. I drove past recently when I was visiting my Mom and it is now a massive Amazon warehouse center.

Strawbridge and Clothier on Old York Road north of Jenkintown PA. A limestone building (that I remember being much more modern and streamlined) but driving by at dusk and seeing the elegant script name in glowing pale blue.