I was born and raised in Chicago. My dad was an executive with Bacardi Imports, in the SIXTIES. I was an only child and Marshall Field's was my Mom's favorite store when few black women shopped there. That store will forever be in my heart. It was the ONLY major department store in the 1960's where black women could get good quality makeup ih shades that complimented our skin tones. It had to be custom blended, and I remember my mother taking me to the makeup counter of a beautiful, tall, blond clerk who knew my mothet by name. Mom told her I was old enough to wear age-appropriate makeup, and that beautiful clerk mixed and stirred until it was perfect!!! Foundation, powder and blush. I will NEVER forget her! Field's was innovative in a lot of areas, but particularly in recognizing that their clientele came in different sizes, shapes, and hues. And they trained their staff to treat all their customers with the same respect. ❤
It’s so interesting that he retired on New Years Day 1896. Do you happen to know why? Was he pushed out? I can’t really find a good answer for this question and maybe you can shed some light on this for me.
@@FranticMissyOfficial I know he sold his half to his brother, Lyman. I doubt pushed out, I think just retired. He had made a decent living and, in those days, being in your 50’s was old.
Growing up in Chicago in the 60's, Marshall Fields was a destination. We would dress up in our best patent leather Mary Jane-s with white ruffle socks and velvet trim coats and hats to have tea and cake in the balcony restaurant with my Aunt who was a buyer for the store. Christmas was always the most beautiful with decorations everywhere and the Santa visits were like a dream for a young child. Loved the Marshall Fields experience of feeling like a princess.
I'm glad you included the social aspects of the great department stores in the Gilded Age. They helped free women from the home and gave them a place they could go, even alone, and shop, have tea and socialize without men. This was a major step back then.
This is such a really good point and something I hadn't realized until I watched this video. It almost provides a reclaiming of power over the women/shopping trope. Shopping was literally the first way that American women could roam freely and gather together. How many Suffragettes do you think came about from those conversations?
@@buukaczi Seeing as we are discussing the famous American families that industrialized the country, they were spending generational wealth bequeathed to them by their parents and grandparents. I understand the point you are trying to make; that the women were spending their husbands' money. Don't pretend that the husbands were actually earning their multiple millions of dollars that propelled them to the upper echelons of society. They inherited it and then leveraged it by exploiting the workers who actually performed the labor, the same way the rich get richer today. By attempting to oversimplify this, you're also vastly underestimating the role of women in society at this time. High status married women didn't exist to spend money. Their primary responsibility was to provide heirs to the fortunes that would keep the generational wealth in the family. They were also responsible for EVERYTHING inside the household, meaning the enormous mansions along Millionaires Row and their summer homes in Newport. Paint colors, architectural styles, furniture, artwork, staff, meals, schedules, activities, social events, etc. And of course, properly and carefully selecting the wardrobes of every member of the household (including the staff). That meant summer and winter attire, clothing for receiving guests and different clothes for paying calls to others, walking clothes, riding habits, evening clothes, mourning attire, liveries, and formalwear. For the man, woman, children, and employees. They HAD to spend money because it was directly tied to their responsibilities as homemakers. They MADE their houses into homes.
It would be fun if...You dressed like you had already shopped there. No jeans, tshirts, and sandals. You would have to already own a fancy dress, nice shoes, probably a parasol, gloves, a fancy purse, your hair done up nice, a hat. Otherwise you probably wouldn't get in the door. If you went with a friend they would also have to dress appropriately, as well as your kids if you took them. That's a lot of money to shell out just to go shopping. Also you might be compelled to have a snack or a meal in the store in one of the restaurants. But there was no Food and Drug Administration. And where did the water come from? And did you wash your hands after you went to the bathroom? Do you know about cross contamination?
@@nellgwennpeople like you who act like everything in the past was absolutely bad, are absolutely insufferable, and detrimental to the actual study of history.
@@nellgwennGreat points, especially about hand washing and cross contamination aspects to ponder. I’m not sure if young children were brought into the shops at the time.
Marshall Field’s was simply the best. Their Christmas displays and beautiful building was so special. Their chocolates were amazing, Macy’s doesn’t even come close.
I agree. Here in Detroit our Hudsons became Marshall Fields in the late 1990’s. Then it became Macy’s and it’s never been the same since. Marshall Fields and JL Hudsons were in a class all by themselves. I miss both of them. Shopping 🛍️ isn’t the same since. I worked for Hudsons and Marshall Fields and for a brief time at Macy’s. Things went downhill when they switched to Macy’s. I quit and went to GMAC after college.
@@LUIS-ox1bvFrango Mint Chocolates are from Seattle company Frederick and Nelson. Sadly, Frederick and Nelson met its demise in the mid-1980s. Fortunately, Marshall Field and then Macy’s continued the Frango magic.
I absolutely love extravagant department stores with actual service, beautiful areas and products and well dressed associates. Straw ridges. Wanamaker's. Bloomingdale's. Miss them
My sister and I went to Lord and Taylor’s when I was 18. I still remember quite clearly the pink ladies lounge. It had multiple fully stocked dressing tables ladies could use. Fresh and clean combs and brushes, perfume, etc. It was luxuriously decorated, clean and smelled delightful. Today, “fully stocked” wouldn’t last 5 minutes. People who are civilized are treated in a civilized manner.
Must be nice to be among those with the time and money to actually burn like that. The only people who do are those who aren’t working paycheck to paycheck with few to no paid days off or paid sick leave.
While the modernized L&T in the 2000s was quite different from the one of long ago, many of us here in NYC loved to shop there, as it was still a classy store and had some of the best "old fashioned" Christmas windows in NYC. I miss it so much!
I love those times of elegance. You can see the workmanship in the clothes and the buildings during that time. I love fashion and feel that I was born in the wrong era. 😊
Boy I miss Henri Bendels. It was always a great experience. I still have a t shirt from there and a shopping bag. Thank goodness some of these still survive.
Marshall Fields holds a very special place in my heart. There was a small one in the town I grew up in, Lake Forest. IL. It always felt special to go into such a fine quality store and at Christmas, a trip to the Walnut Room for lunch and a visit to the "real Santa " , plus seeing the animated street windows was a treasured tradition. My grandmother's best friend was in charge of all of the store's food offerings, both bakery and restaurants, having to taste test everything! I have a silver charm of the State Street building clock and am so sad that's all that remains of a fabulous store and shopping experience.
Loving Your silver clock charm story ..treasured times we were so.lucky to even.had a peek at the opulence of it all ..thamks for Your lovely Rdmbrance🌹
As a teen, my Mom took me to NYC to shop at Macy's for some school clothes for me. We also went to the sewing department -- a whole floor of fabulous fabrics, Parisian clothing patterns, and every type of trim, ribbon and button. The fabrics for wedding and evening dresses were just mind-blowing. I will never forget that wonderland for the seamstress. I wonder if all those sewing items are still sold there. Probably most ppl buy their clothing already made.
I remenber as a little girl, when my mom went into "the City" (San Franvico) to go shopping she wore heels, a hat and gloves. Im almost 80 so this would have been in the early '50s.
I'm 73 and grew up in Walnut Creek. I remember my mother dressing up in heels, hat and gloves when she went to San Francisco. That all changed with the hippie movement.
I have actually been to Harrod's in London and it's a beautiful store to this day! Plus I actually worked at Lord and Taylor for many years until unfortunately it's been closed down. We need to get the fancy schamcy back to the retail market!!
Marshal Fields in Chicago was our favorite place to go in the 60s and 70s! You didn’t even have to buy anything! People watching (see how the other half lived) and looking at what they sold! It was like going to a lovely museum! They had a whole floor for miniatures and another one of musical instruments! You could spend the entire day there! I used to love going there!
I thoroughly enjoyed this! Thank you. As a native Chicagoan, I grew up with the luxury and the 'magic' of Marshall Field & Co. particularly at Christmas. To this day, I have never experienced anything to match it.
In the 60s, my older sister worked in the design department at Fields. We'd eat in the Walnut Room at Christmas time and she'd point out the ornaments she'd made.
@@thatjpwingI never got to visit the building until after Macy's took it over. Some long-time Fields employees were still there and expressed their dismay at what Macy's did. They all emphasized that the store I was in was a far cry from the original. There are some movies that show some of the Field's experience like "Christmas Vacation"
I visited Henri Bendel in the Chestnut Hill Mall near Boston about 25 years ago. It was sumptuous and expensive. The only thing I could afford was an eye liner which I happily bought and proudly showed off my bag while shopping for the rest of the day
I worked at B. Altman in my late teens taking phone orders from customers from the store's catalog. Us employees would have to enter & leave the store through a side-door, not the front entrance. We ate in the cafeteria in the top floor. I loved living in NYC. I miss those days.
Thank you for this foray into shopping in the past. I'm glad so many of the buildings were saved from demolition. It's always heartbreaking to see beautiful architecture destroyed.
How is Selfridges not on this list? I loved the pbs series so much I went to the store on a trip to London. It is the most gorgeous store I have ever been in.
I too was looking forward to seeing Selfridges listed; but alas, not even a nod. I've never had the pleasure of visiting, but from all that I've read and heard, I would have loved spending hours and money in that escape from everyday life.
Selfridges opened in London on 15 March 1909 however the gilded age ends around 1900 so although seemingly to appear to be a shop of the gilded age it is a little more modern.
When I was seven years old 1966, my mother, her parents and three of my older siblings when into Chicago and spent about five hours shopping and dining at Marshall Fields. I still remember seeing the big corner clock at State and Randolph, the Tiffany ceiling, the very posh restaurant and since it was the Christmas season, the humongous Indoor Christmas tree and all the Christmas displays (especially the toys) and all the decorations. My grandfather died the following spring and my mom three years later. Whenever I think back on those early years of my life, I fondly recall that trip of an elegance now so sadly missing and cheapened today. Thanks for bringing that memory back to the forefront of my mind.
Ahh yes the times before people cheapened and ruined everything. Today I went into a Dunkin’ Donuts and purchased a few things for me and my mother. As I was standing there a disheveled woman who I’d describe as obese trailer trash came in, and didn’t buy anything and screamed out “I’m just using the bathroom!” To the employees as she walked by. She didn’t politely ask. She demanded. Loudly. Ofc she went in and decimated the bathroom and i made the mistake of trying to wash my hands afterwards and it smelled like a NYC landfill. People just have zero respect for places of business anymore. I get you gotta go sometimes but save your nasty ness for your own space! Don’t come in and blow up a single stall restroom for paying customers! 🤦🏻♀️ I hate everything now lmao
Being from Chicago, I loved Marshall Fields! It was the ultimate shopping experience. I enjoyed having so many options under one roof, from Frango mints to clothes to the dining hall upstairs. Such magnificence! You just felt rich walking around.
Absolutely fascinating! I grew up in the 1950s and 60s and my late beloved mother took me to the great department stores in NYC before some of them moved out to the suburbs! We had lunch at gorgeous Lord & Taylors that had the best creative magical Christmas windows! B. Altmans was also on 5th Ave. a very classy store as well. Best and Co. and Bonwit Tellers were not to far away on 5th near Saks Fifth Ave. We shopped at Bloomingdates after it opened a branch in NJ! I went on to become a NYC fashion illustrator so it was fun to see all the fashion art of the Gilded Age as well. Bonwit's lovely logo was a nose gay of purple violets, their shopping bags with violets and a purple ribbon handle were delightful looking! Thanks for the grand tour of dept. stores from the Gilded Age, much appreciated!♥💜
I’m a San Francisco native and I loved the City of Paris. I still remember their deli in the basement, Normandy Lane, where my mother, big sister and I would stop for lunch while shopping. At Christmas every year they would have a huge Christmas tree in the center of the store. Joseph Magnin’s, I Magnin’s are gone too. Sigh.
You brought back a great memory of traveling from Palos Verdes in southern California every year in early December back in the 50s so mother could shop at the City of Paris and we use to go down stairs to have French onion soup with SF sourdough then go to Blums for sweats. Thanks for the memories
I must say that I am dismayed that "Grace Brothers," in London, was not included in this list. One would think that it was a fictional store, created for a classic English sitcom.😉
@@donnaleach8119 Over twenty years ago, I worked in an art & craft supply store and one coworker, who was one of the witiest people that I have ever known, when asked if he was free, would bat his eyes, simper and say, " I'm not free, but I'm reasonable..."
Henri Bendel "did its own brand in" when they started mass producing their bags, expanded their stores all over the country, and they were no longer exclusive or one of a kind bags. They had some beautiful bags though. I got the opportunity to shop and buy items at Marshall Fields before it closed. It was a beautiful store (especially during Christmas) with couture items. I remember trying on my first Oscar de la renta coat there. Sad it was bought out by Macy's.
My great great grandfather was Theodore deLemos. He was the architect of many of Manhattan's most popular department stores, including Macy's and Spiegel Cooper.
Been to London many times and have visited Harrod’s, of course as a yank my nephews first Teddy had to come from there, but I was bummed that each time I never had time to visit Harvey Nicolas… albeit to recreate a great AbFab moment. I was surprised Liberty’s was not listed. It remains one of my favorite places to shop when I do go to London. It offers tours and history, lots to buy, of course a Liberty print, plus I love the restaurant!
Ooh.Yes Liberty of London and its fab rotunda..now William Morris Fabrics there are even More famous..the patterns so sought after I have met people.all over the world..from London..Paris and even the usually too cool New Yorkers s
Who.greet someone wearing.a.fabric from Liberty's collection as a friend..mine was wool challis.shawl..and a.Grench styled.neck scarf..what fun..and Harrodpeople.proudly wore their yearly designer created tote bags to every wherethey traveled!!
When I attended university in NYC, Bloomingdale's was the place to shop. I remember when they used to feature goods from Ireland, China, Italy, etc. with the ad campaign "Come to (fill in the country) at Bloomingdale's." A buddy of mine became a buyer for Bloomingdale's after he graduated, and he loved working there.
Yes now they would probably have a whole section with signs about how cultural appropriation is evil, and all the shoppers of the past are bigots lmao 😂 🤦🏻♀️ I hate the woke modern world!
Except for Lord and Taylor's, the 1960s-1970's Ladies Mile was 57th Street with Bloomingdale's, Bonwit Teller, Bergdorf and small boutique shops all close by. I bought an outfit on 57th Street to meet my soon to be husband's family. I bought the dress I wore to my son's wedding at Bloomingdale's.
City of Paris was a destination that I loved as a little girl. At Christmas time there was a very tall Christmas tree. One mezzanine had beds beautifully dressed with lovely linens and graced with French bed dolls. I was so sad when this store closed.
Sad to hear Marshalls Fields/Chicago where many of my kid cloths, gifts came from my grandparents, old aunts and uncles, and Henri Bendell/NY. close their doors. Grand stores in the US are dying fast! Where will the 1% buy from now? What a loss of extraordinary experiences. I am glad I was able to shop at most of these locations and experience the civility of life. Internet shopping just isn't the same experience.
Love the name Schmancy. Despite being a New Yorker, I had no idea that Bloomingdales is that old or started selling hoopskirts. Thank you for this informative video.
My daughter has just purchased an antique sewing machine and I was shocked to see on your photos of the seamstresses in these opulent stores working on such a machine. Just think if they had our fancy dancy electric machines then what they would have created. It’s amazing their creations were so stunning probably a lot of the fancy work was done by hand. So interesting thank you for posting.
My favorite store is Harrods in London . My husband took me forva High tea for our anniversary and we brought some perfumes and special chocolates the service was incredible. Wonderful memories. Thank you for a great vidio. Regards from California ❤
Marshall Field's was the only one of these stores that I shopped in during the 1960s and 1970s. Miss it greatly. Noweverything is plastic crap mostly made in China😢😢!!
That was fun, thanks, though I think most of the big department stores you mention were aimed at the new urban middle class. In New York, at least, they arrived on the new subway and elevated train lines and on Ladies Mile in Manhattan, the local subway train still stops, unusually, every 5 blocks to accommodate those 19th c. shoppers. The “carriage trade” preferred smaller, more exclusive boutiques. To anyone visiting New York and interested in this era, I do recommend a stroll along Ladies Mile (Avenue of the Americas, between 14-28 Streets) which is still lined with the hulking structures once occupied by these great department stores. The city has marked the route with historical information along the route. Thanks again for that interesting post!
I recognized it in this video! When I was in Chicago, I went to Macy's. It looks just the same inside as the old store did, and the landmark clock is on the corner outside.
No, he would be proud of his work, that is still mentioned, appreciated & studied today. Not forgotten. He made his mark. He resides in history, at the top of accomplished Architects. In the scheme of such, he has rare privilege. You should be proud. Find his talent in your DNA. It's there. .
It's funny when I was little I had family who worked in Harrods and the other side of the family worked in Selfridge's they hated each other and endlessly went on proclaiming they worked in the best department store. It was a deep rivalry. At weddings we had to have to separate tables of food and each side always called the other side peasants. It was some of my happiest childhood memories. My mum's best friend was the manager of Channel which would be huge now but we just didn't care and took the Mickey out of the snobby customers at lunch. I remember her doing my make up with full Channel in the boutique at age 12 which was fun.
Similar in concept to 'Ladies' Mile'- the pre-WWI (1870's-1914) custom of the well-to-do of Australia, particularly in Sydney & Melbourne was 'doing the Block'- where they leisurely promenaded around the most fashionable shopping district of their respective towns - such activities essentially came to a halt with the war, & never really came back...
I remember going to Harrods when I visited the UK when I was 18 in 2005. I'm from New Orleans, and it was the first time I'd ever seen champagne being served in a department store. my mind was blown!
I remember when I was a kid- we visited New York - I was around 10- my mom bought me a dress at Bloomingdale’s and it was like 40 bucks! That was a lot of money back then. I still remember what it looked like and never forgot the experience!
Although not quite in the Gilded Age, a few other similar palatial stores I’d include are KaDeWe in Berlin, Hudson’s in Detroit, Stawbridge & Clothier in Philadelphia, and Selfridge’s in London. Hudson’s, whose main downtown location finally closed in 1993, was outdone by all of its suburban mall locations, and even those eventually became Marshall Field’s, and then Macy’s. The enormous downtown location, that set many firsts, was demolished around 1998. But a new high-rise paying homage to it is currently being built. As a person who grew up in the Midwest, I was always a fan of Marshall Field’s in downtown Chicago as well. I still refer to its building as that today, and miss the ways it used to be. KaDeWe, or it’s full name of Kaufhaus des Westens or essentially “department store of the west, is maybe the next best thing to Harrod’s in Europe in my opinion. Just an incredible place.
You seem to b very knowledgeable on Department stores : I was wondering if you knew what Dept. store was used in the 1987 movie Mannequin ? Why ? because there is a scene where she glides down the middle of the store and passes a large pipe organ built into a wall ..... WTF ?
I was lucky enough to go into "City of Paris" just before it was demolished. I remember the beautiful interior and the dome. The Needless Mark-up building was not a pleasant addition to Union Square.
Delightful video highlighting these fabulous department stores. The women dressed beautifully during those early years, men too for that matter. You never mentioned Wanamaker's in Philadelphia with its beautiful pipe organ installed on the mezzanine playing music as the shoppers strolled the various aisles. My grandmother worked there as a model in 1910 and 1911. I still have her calling card. On my wall, I have beautifully preserved photos in frames of my grandmother wearing floor length skirts and gorgeous large hats. I lived with her when I was a teenager, and she shared with me memories of her youth during the early 1900s and 1910s. I was amazed as a young boy looking over her old photos and how lovely she looked as a young girl. She would say, "Tommy, I was a looker, wore my skirts clear down to the floor and rode around in carriages drawn by horses. You should have seen some of my beautiful hats. When I worked modeling dresses at Wanamaker's in downtown Philadelphia, I had to parade back and forth in fancy dresses as ritzy dames seated on a divan would select the dress they wanted to buy." I wish I could give these priceless framed photos to some organization that would preserve them. I am old now and have no family or anyone interested in looking at lovely more than one hundred year old photographs.
This story is beautiful! What a blessing you got to have such a fashion forward grandmother that told you such wonderful stories. I am totally in love with the time behind us, and it brings me such peace, compared with the modern world. The end of your comment made me sad that you couldn’t find anyone to take those photos off your hands and cherish them. I’d be willing to display them in my vintage collection if you’re willing but if not, perhaps google vintage collectors in your area! I’m sure someone would love to have them and even repeat your grandmothers story and keep her legacy alive long after you are gone! Bless you! Hope you are not alone and have someone to keep you company! ❤
@@tula1433 Tula, thank you for your welcome offer to display my memorabilia of my beloved grandmother. Please do not be offended, but though I am old almost 89, I am contented to be alone with my memories. Since 1990-91, instead of keeping these old photos wrapped in tissue paper in boxes, I invested in rather expensive frames so I could view them pleasurably anytime I wanted. My walls are literally covered with framed photos of my grandmother, born in 1883 - died in 1966, my lovely mother born 1911 - died 2005. Included in many frames are my great-grandmother, great-grandfather, when they were young. The oldest photo is of my great great grandmother taken in the1860s. Unfortunately, she was not my grandmother's favorite grandmother. This may be difficult for most people to understand, but I treasure my solitude. All these fascinating framed photos, most ranging 90 to 160 years give me pleasure and all the company I need. Not too savvy on electronics. Perhaps, if you have time, you could tell me how to put them into your vintage collection or where to find "google vintage collectors" in the Sarasota, Florida area. I am not selling them. I want them in the hands of someone who will not destroy them.
Look into museums in Philadelphia. At one time there was a City of Philadelphia museum (used to be Atwater Kent). Historical Societies should also have some ideas. Good luck!
This is a great piece. I would have like to have seen others in other locations like Woodward and Lothrop in Washington DC and John Wannamakers in Pennsylvania USA
While working at Neiman Marcus, I was standing under its rotunda in San Francisco, during the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. I witnessed the building joints moving. The building had minor damage.
Thank you. Our mother ventured us to Chicago that included shopping @ Marshall Field's. My sister and I had great fun to be in our first big city experience. The restaurant was still serving Easter. The clock remained the land mark of 'its' historical time.' And such disappointment to see this name be replaced by Macy's. I was fortunate to live in NYC, 2 blocks from Bloomingdale's! My sister and I shopped @ lovely Henri Bendel's unique style of taste that surprised us to learn closed. Tiffany's was everyone's must go! I still have my 'Tiffany paper cup' from the water cooler. The only affordable item for me was FREE! The clerks loved that! I have always wondered of the great Harrod's London. What treasured memories that I only wear now in my cataloged mind. 💖
Another store i London could have been added to this list is Whitely's Shop in Bayswater. In the film 'My Fair Lady' this is where Professor Higgins sends Eliza Doolittle to get a fashionable dress. At one time it had a golf course on the roof. A department store that had a wonderful interior was Jenner's in Edinburgh which sadly closed a few years ago.
Thanks for this mention of Whiteley, the store was started and owned for a long time by my grandmothers grandparents and parents. Unfortunately the wealth that was made by the store and its sale didn’t trickle down to my generation. I still like to hear about this branch of my family though. ❤
John Wanamaker in Philadelphia - B. Altman in NYC - Selfridges in London - Kaufmann's in Pittsburgh - Printemps and Le Bon Marche in Paris. This wasn't a department store, but I would have loved to have seen the magnificent silver in the Gorham stores in NYC.
Wanamaker's is a must for this list. I also immediately thought to B Altman, Printemps and Galleries Lafayettes, although I am not certain B Altman was around in the Guilded Age. If Henri Bender makes the list as a department store, shouldn't Bonwit Teller make the list? It seems Bergdorf's and Saks should also make the list, as should La Samarataine in Paris. I don't agree that Kaufman should make the list. Every large US city at the time opened a generally upscale dept store, that all eventually were purchased by Federated (Macy's). But these were often for the middle/upper-middle classes
@@FrankTomaka-ie8fh There are two definitions of the Gilded Age, and I subscribe to the one that takes it to World War I, (and includes the whole Edwardian era) not just to 1900. B.Altman had been around since 1865. If it doesn't count, neither should the 1852 Marshall Fields nor the 1842 Harrods.
Loved Kauffman's in Pittsburgh, especially at Christmas time. It had a cafe. And at Christmas you took a narrow escalator up to a winter wonderland. It was beautiful and had Santa.
@@rebeccaharkins2058 I was only in Kaufmann's twice. The 2nd time must have been near its closing because I remember going up to the home boutique and there were so few customers in the store (and none in this department) that my friend and I were brought into the back room to look at the new things. I still have the double old fashioned glasses that I bought that day. I also seem to remember from my 1st time in Pittsburgh that Joseph Horne's was quite nice, too.
Thank you for a lovely stroll into the past. I still remember the nice department stores in Philadelphia. Wow ! To see those fashions in color! Beautiful! New York was beautiful back then.
I'm old enough to remember the Magnin Brothers in San Francisco: Joseph Magnin was one store, I Magnin the other. They were exquisite and very special. Long gone now.
The vibe of those stores reminds me of the stores that you would find in the casinos of Vegas these days like the Forum Shops in Cassars Palace. Not just a place to shop but a place to experience things that you would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.
As a baby boomer growing up in central Illinois , fondly remember my parents & their friends going to Chicago for a few days each Dec. to shop at MF . The real treat was for my grandmother & I to take the train to join them for the weekend - the store windows , dining out , etc. are wonderful memories !
After watching this video l felt l had no choice. I had to subscribe, so l did. I live in Toronto where Eaton's, Simpson's and the Bay ruled the shopping roost. I remember, as a poor, immigrant child, being taken downtown at Christmas to view the huge windows with mechanized displays of Santa, elves, and reindeer, all of whom made slight movements. For me, it was magical.
I too am from Ontario Canada. I miss those stores. Eaton's Christmas windows were the highlight. We were so poor we shopped at Eatons' annex with the wooden escalators! Always went skating at Toronto City Hall public outdoor rink afterwards. What a special day for my sisters and myself!!!
Look how utterly massive these stores were. They were palaces! Even the jewelry section was 15 rows long. It makes me wonder whether today's businesses are either 1) too cheap to do this or 2) can't afford it. Neither possibility sounds good.
If You dress the part and enjoy." Acting. As if"..you can enjoy the rarified.air. without going into debt...plus You..just.learn souch an out human.beimgs...and marketing. bybeing The Mysterious Observer...
Has anyone else noticed, at :49 secs., there is a group scene, with a group of caucasian women (and a very few men in the background) all dressed in dark colors, but in the center, there is an African-American woman, dressed all in white. She does not appear to be a sales clerk, as she is wearing a hat, while most of the other women are hatless. There's an interesting story there, one that I would like to know more about. The past is much more complex than we think.
I've been in that building in San Francisco but didn't know its history. Fascinating that it once was such a fabulous department store. I wished I could have seen that.
I look forward to our society becoming more cultured and respectful of quality. I shudder to think how much spray paint and other vandalism such stores would endure now.
I remember Marshall Field’s, or Field’s as the locals called the store. Besides the State Street beauty, Field’s had other stores in neighboring suburbs. I remember treating myself to a birthday lunch at the State Street Field’s. I felt like a princess! And, yes, the Tiffany ceilings are gorgeous. As a Macy’s it doesn’t even approach the grandeur and reputation Field’s had. Sigh!😢
I want to bring back Maison Blance! It's owned by Dillards! My whole idea concerning stores is that they should contain items which can't be purchased on Amazon. They need to sell more expensive items, and they need to have a better understanding of their clients. People need to go to the department store with the understanding that they will pay a fixed price, and that they are purchasing something of significantly better quality and greater durability. You save money by purchasing things that you don't have to replace so frequently if ever. The issue department stores hit was similar to the Subway explosion in stores, and they started to train everyone to seek products that were for a reduced price. There is a place for department stores, but not for as many as existed in their hayday. Harrods benefited from location, and I have the perfect location for Maison Blanche. People ought to be as Selfridge when they have a department store. You really have to think of them as real estate which generates income at a very expensive location. It's not good to build a department store in an area where the land is cheap, but I think we are going to see more people appreciate them more in the future. They aren't obsolete. Harvey Nicols and Harrods have the right idea, one store. I think it's only going to be a successful Department store if it's apart of Ladies Mile.
They have actually done studies that show modern architecture with steel and zero aesthetic really effects peoples mental health and state of mind. Which is why if you walk through a quaint old world town you feel calm.
Prior to Federated (aka Macy’s) the original Marshall Fields on State Street was just a block or two from the original Carson Pirie Scott store. They were both absolutely marvelous.
I grew up with Carson Pirie Scott, then when I moved to Milwaukee it was called Boston Store, and Bergner's (I think) in Beloit. Now I'm in Florida where there is none of that :(
The entrance to Carson, Perie Scott at State and Madison was the ornate burnished bronze beauty by Louis Sullivan which extended around the ground floor facade. Still there, thankfully, but overpowered by the brightly illumined Red and White Target logo. My last drive downtown (last week) was underwhelming but they attempt to keep the traditions. Macy does a middling effort with their windows (a pale comparison to Marshall Fields' glory) and the Kristkindelmart at Daley Plaza nearby is lovely, but over-crowded. The great tree at Millennium Park, and ice skating nearby, make the trip worthwhile.
My grandparents both worked at B. Altman, in the finance department, in the early 1900s when few women "went to business" as it was called then. They met there, courted, and were married shortly before the first World War, with my mother having been born at the height of the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1919, shortly after my grandfather returned from the War after service in the Navy on one of the first submarines employed in that worldwide conflict. Although this video refers briefly to B. Altman as having been one of the high-end stores farther downtown in Manhattan as part of The Lady's Mile, B. Altman moved uptown in 1906 to its flagship location on Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, closing in 1989. When I lived in Manhattan in the late '60s and early '70s, I shopped at Altman's, as well as Stern Brothers (Stern's), another favorite of my grandmother for its conservatively fine taste and decorum. Originally having its cast-iron facade flagship on West 23rd Street, it too moved uptown in 1913, to 42nd Street and 6th Avenue. At some point after the early 1970s it was subsumed by Bloomingdale's and Macy's, a shame because it had its own distinctively understated and unique character, as did all of the grand stores of that era, the likes of which we shall not see again.
At 2:51 you state that Marshall Field's became known as the world's second largest store. This did not happen until 1983 after the J.L. Hudson store in downtown Detroit closed. Hudson's was the second largest store with 2.2 million sq ft (457,000 m²) and also the tallest at 439 ft (134 m) spread over 25 floors and 4 basements. It was capped by a 110 ft (34 m) flagpole.
I've heard of most of these shops/stores in my history studies, but I've never heard of Henri Bendel. Simply fascinating! Just imagine frequenting these places and the level of spending. Oh, my!
In the Cole Porter song from 1934 "You're the Top" made famous by Ethel Merman, Porter incorporates the line "You're a Bendel Bonnet / a Shakespeare Sonnet", immortalising the brand.
Marshall Fields! I used to take the L there on my lunch hour in th 1980s. It was wonderful, magical and oh so special till Macys took it and it was never the same. We all took it hard and Macys was selfish. The Christmas windows were stunning as was the tree at the Walnut Room. I really miss it to this day. We had a beautiful Fields store in Lake Forest that was so very elegant as well. We all seriously miss it. You don’t see stores like that anymore. Tragic too about Henri Bendel.
The Palaces of envy. The vast majority could only look through the windows. The same applies today. This video gives the idea that these retail outlets are common and used by large numbers of people. They were always exclusive and served just a few.
Henri Bendel (NYC) store was featured in the movie, SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE 1999... I didn't know it was a real store until I stumbled upon this clip. They actually shoot the scenes right inside the store. Awesome but sadly the store is gone now.
Hello as a former salesperson in Bergdorf-Goodman Lord and Taylor and finally in Bloomingdales 95 thru 2008 how about Bonwit Teller. B.Altmans...and yes it was like entering another world when you went in these stores...even a lipstick or lovely scent changed your day..........at least for me with the talent in merchandising and lighting ........so I hope the Internet does not destroy this experience of person to person sales ...........getting dressed up and feeling better about yourself can change your life.
This is one of the only times I've heard anyone say Henri as it ought to be when saying the store's name. I've lived in NYC for many years and the locals say "Henry" Bendel when it is clearly HENRI the French version of Henry and H is always silent. Even the staff in the store gave up and said "Henry Bendel". 😂😂😂
