Why Women Still Shop Department Stores

shop department stores

Happy Monday, ladies.  Today, I would like to discuss my belief why women still shop department stores around a book review.

The book took me  days to read, ponder and eventually surmise why women still shop department stores.

I have been totally engrossed in Julie Satow’s book, “When Women Ran Fifth Avenue,”  after one of our blog community regulars, Deborah, recommended it.

First, from a journalist’s perspective, I was so impressed with her research and thoroughness of this topic.

My college degree is in Journalism and I am old school when it comes to research.  Satow’s research and writing have gained my respect.

I believe it is so well written that it should be included in marketing, American history, women’s studies, fashion merchandising, retailing, or business courses.

As a woman who has loved to shop my entire life, the book evoked so many emotions through memories and even, sadness.

So, let’s discuss why some women still shop department stores and ponder if it will continue….

WHY WOMEN STILL SHOP DEPARTMENT STORES: THE BOOK

shop department stores

In her book, Satow documents the stories of three main women from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Hortense Odlum of Bonwit Teller; Dorothy Shaver of Lord & Taylor; and Geraldine Stutz of Henri Bendel were intelligent, creative and bold women.

Each one took their brands to new levels providing unique opportunities to their audiences well past purchasing a dress.

They demonstrated what one can do when they know and understand their audiences and take care of their employees ( all with predominantly female workers).

We learn in their stories what worked and what happened in the markets that ultimately took these brands down.

Satow has documented the rise of discount brands, opening branch stores, and shopping malls with detail of how these changed how women shop department stores.

Of course, then along came online shopping with the biggest challenge of all…Amazon.

I could not put this book down.

WHY WOMEN STILL SHOP DEPARTMENT STORES: MY STORY

shop department stores

I loved fashion from a young age.

As soon as I was allowed to buy and read Seventeen Magazine, I would devour every page.

At sixteen, I was allowed to work in a women’s boutique and loved it….though it was for women much older than I.

One of my first jobs out of college graduation was with a large advertising & marketing firm in Dallas.

I could not visit Neiman Marcus fast enough and purchased my first pair of stilettos there…Beautiful Bruno Magli…and for a 20-something budding fashionista, they were a statement of a new confident me.

When my new Dallas employer said I would be traveling often to New York, Washington D.C. and other major cities, I was beyond giddy.

As much as I wanted to see the Statue of Liberty and Broadway, I also wanted to see Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue and all 34 floors of Macy’s.

I was not wealthy, but loved the experiences and everything I saw in the displays, windows, and the other customers.

  If the stores had a cafeteria, I wanted to eat there.  If they hosted a special event, I wanted to attend.

I bought my first coffee beans in the Macy’s basement.  At that time, there were no Macy’s in Texas and I was taken with this store.

I still have the Macy’s Christmas ornament I purchased in New York.

All of the places I had read about in Seventeen suddenly came to life.

When I arrived in Boston, I also shopped Filene’s basement.  A souvenir for me was bringing home a garment or two from each city.

In later years, when I traveled to Chicago with Mr. B who was on a business trip, I ran to the Magnificent Mile…at that time it was so much fun and I even stumbled into an Eileen Fisher seminar with their employees.

So Satow’s book had me from the first page.

shop department stores

Also, some of the most impressive women I have met after becoming a “fashion” blogger were managers or key leaders in department stores in San Antonio.

I was so impressed with Sheri of Dillard’s; Xitlalt of Neiman Marcus; and Carla of Saks Fifth Avenue. 

All of these strong women taught me about fashion merchandising and serving their own specific target audiences.

Today, other women still shop department stores, but, to no one’s surprise, the numbers do trend downward.

I do not consider Target and Walmart department stores, though some do.  

But, there are women shoppers, today, who say there must be more sales and discounts to keep them shopping.

Women love a boutique experience for the same reasons I do…customer service and unique merchandise.

So, there are many options to department store shopping now.

shop department stores

With that said, I still shop department stores and enjoy it.

Since we moved, I do miss Nordstrom.  It was an experience for me. 

I liked to visit there, as I did the others when I was in my 20s, and see the merchandise, work with the personal shoppers (I am pictured with one here) and eat at the cafe.

A fun girl’s day out was when I was with friends going to Nordstrom.

shop department stores

And every regular reader knows I am a fan of Dillard’s.  The management of Dillard’s has been smart about how they handle sales.

We are not slapped in the face with them daily as some stores do…they have markdowns but in a more dignified manner and it has served them well.

I go there for the customer service, quality of merchandise and offerings, and to accomplish a lot in one location.

It was such a joy to take my granddaughter to Dillard’s to shop flower girl dresses for our son’s wedding.

An experience for sure.

shop department stores
Screenshot

I do wish some of the “old school” ideas as Satow writes about would return.

I would love to see a cafe or coffee shop in Dillard’s and see them host more fashion shows and events like they did in the past.

It was such an encouragement to know my new Dillard’s is getting back to fashion shows.  I loved the one I attended and hope to see more.

And adding personal stylists for special events like Nordstrom does, could prove very successful for Dillard’s.

Other department stories like Macy’s and Kohls are doing their best to hang on….but again with a few lessons from the past and making those types of changes, they might have a chance.

In her book, Satow, a New York Times Reporter, mentions a golden age in America when many of these department stores thrived.

Could it be possible for another “golden age” in America to usher in a resurgence of department stores as they once were?

Time will tell.

I for one, though, will continue to be among those women who still shop department stores.

If you love a little history on fashion, you will love the book.  You might also like the BOOK REVIEW BY CNN.

All comments in regards to WHY WOMEN STILL SHOP DEPARTMENT STORES are welcome!

See you tomorrow……

KEEP SMILING!

By Pamela Lutrell

Whether shopping new arrivals or clearance sales,  please shop with the links on my SHOPPING PAGE…thank you, thank you to all who shop this way.

shop department stores

(This is just a joke!)

55 Comments

  1. Excellent book, filled with great information about the women who were driving our stores in their beginning. Former Filene’s basement shopper here and my mom always had coffee and a blueberry muffin at Jordan Marsh.

  2. Thanks for joining in, Patty. At the Neiman Marcus in San Antonio there is a coffee shop for a muffin and warm drink. And a small eatery I also enjoyed frequenting. I do miss those experiences.

  3. Good morning Pam,
    After reading your post I am 5 out of 5 on the library wait list for this book. You brought back so many memories. Abraham & Strauss (A&S) was the store my mom shopped in the 70’s when I was young and where I shopped with my newspaper money. Then after college, it was Lord & Taylor at least once a week as I worked 3 blocks away and B. Altman was 3 blocks away in the other direction. I lived and worked in NYC for 10 years, so shopping department stores was easy. A co-worker and I always found Designer Sample Sales in NYC as well through out the year. Our lunch times were consumed with shopping at different department stores/Sample Sales in the 80’s and early 90’s. Thanks for the memories and I look forward to reading this book. Have a great day.

  4. Thank you for recommending this book, I am looking forward to reading it! Like you, I grew up in the eras of wonderful department stores. I felt I had reached adulthood when I shopped at Neiman-Marcus for the first time by myself and had lunch in the Zodiac Room (Chicago). Marshall-Field’s (State St) was my home-away-from-home. Decades ago, before Macy’s took over, I took a young colleague (who was not from the city) to lunch at the Walnut Room for her 30th birthday. I saw her a few weeks ago and she told me how she still has the suit she wore to lunch that day (complete with the beautiful shoes)–she keeps them as a reminder of a lovely day spent shopping in the city. Smaller regional department stores like Von Maur with piano music, coat checks, gift services and personal shoppers are wonderful too. In my family we say, shopping is a sport, where we don’t pursue medals but experiences–nothing beats the “perfect” day shopping! So, while I do shop online and enjoy boutiques, I would love to see a new “golden era” of department stores!

  5. You are welcome, Betty. The book brought sweet memories to me. It was hard for me to pass along the clothes I bought during that time and I do wish I had saved one Lord & Taylor dress I dearly loved and that first pair of shoes…they would be a great decoration in my office!

  6. I love reading these memories, RJ and how wonderful that the young woman noted she still had that suit. These shopping experiences can truly make important memories for women.

  7. Well, this was timely, as our local Macys is on the closing list. For a long time before it closed, they fixed and modernized nothing. Dillards in the same mall is very nice. I find the selections there to be overwhelming and counter intuitive to the way I shop. To find a pair of black pants in one of these places, which are organized by brand, would take hours. And these places are not really department stores any more. You noted no cafes, but they also have long ago taken out fabrics, notions, appliances, books, etc. We do have a store in the general area called Von Maur, which is old school wonderful. Fabulous customer service, free gift wrap, free alterations, amazing Christmas decor, a pianist that plays by the escalator. When I’m in that town or trying to shop for Christmas or other special occasions, I go there. Yet, I do believe that there is insufficient interest to keep very many department stores open. There are too many more convenient (next day delivery) and lower price places to shop.

  8. Thank you for sharing your lifelong joy of women’s fashion. As soon as I started reading, I thought about my mother taking my sister and me for our winter coats. We lived in a small farming community and would travel to Saginaw, Michigan (about thirty miles away). At that time, it was a major event to travel that distance! The department store had several floors and beautiful surroundings. When trying on our coats, the sales associate would have us step on a platform in front of mirrors. I never forget the feeling of being in those surroundings. We would leave with beautiful shopping bags filled with our purchases. Of course, a damper on the day was when our mother would then take us to the “beauty school” for our $3.00 perms which consisted of extremely short curly hair which would take months to grow out. I still laugh at the perm but cherish the department store. As I got older, Jacobsons and Macy’s provided that magical feeling of elegance.
    When I relocated to Chicago, I have fond memories of visiting Marshall Fields (Macy’s) flagship store and Nordstroms both conveniently close to my office making lunch hour visits very convenient. While in Seattle several years ago with family, they planned a visit to the aeronautical museum, I had them drop me off at the Nordstroms flagship store in Seattle. To my surprise, Clint Kelley was speaking and signing books that day. My family thought I was crazy; they could not understand how I would choose the magic of the “flagship department store” and meeting Clint Kelly. Such great memories.
    Cannot wait to read the book!!

  9. This sounds like a wonderful book, and I can’t wait to read it. This is a topic I’ve thought of often. In my younger days, shopping at the high end stores at the mall was my practice and my expectation. Even though my income was lower, there were always sales and markdowns I could afford. And I always bought my make-up there. But the malls closed, make-up brands priced themselves out of my price range, and the clothing did too. I love the experience of the high end department store, but I can no longer afford them. In Columbus we had a wonderful department store called Lazarus. They had everything, and multiple price ranges, presented a lovely setting with lots of sales assistance, carpeting, beautiful displays. I would welcome a rebirth of that experience.

  10. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Shopping department stores may also be a regional thing. I know exactly where to go in Dillards if I need black pants and I know the names of associates to call with those questions. I think it speaks well of a brand if they have people who have worked there for years. Again, I know that may only be in the places I frequent but the customer service and familiarity keeps me returning.

  11. I grew up in a small town in western KY but always loved fashion. I read magazines and dreamed of the day I could visit each and every department store. We had smaller equivalents in the nearest big town, and I visited each of them as often as possible, roamed the aisles and looked in awe. When I was older and could go to Nashville, I visited Harvey’s and would have camped out there in the early ‘60s I was later fortunate to visit Memphis and Goldsmith’s. I became acquainted with an employee in the shoe department, and he would send shoes through the mail at sale time for a friend and me, and we would mail him a check for the ones we kept! I later was privileged to travel to larger cities and visit other stores of my dreams. Those were the days! I do love Dillard’s and Nordstrom. I look forward to reading that book.

  12. Thank you Pamela for your wonderful walk down memory lane! I was born in Brooklyn and lived in NY until I retired…my grandmother was a dressmaker and my grandfather a tailor, so I learned very early on about quality clothing. One of my favorite memories is of Macys on 34th street, the wooden escalators that would take you to floor after floor of the most amazing selection of styles, where you could get your clothes tailored on site while perusing your next “must have” purchase. I remember as a little girl, going to B.Altman’s for lunch in the Tea Room with my mom, taking in the smells of the desserts and the sights of luxury. When I went into marketing right out of college, I was blessed to travel around the country shopping Neiman Marcus, Dillards and Filenes and always treating myself to at least one splurge purchase! I am definitely going to read Julie Satow’s book as soon as I can!

  13. With me, living in Ohio, my favorite department store was Rike’s which was downtown. I got my first charge card at 18! I love Seventeen magazine and devoured it like you did. I am living in Florida now and shop a lot at Chicos and Dillards.

  14. Thank you for sharing those memories, Sharon! I love reading the memories shared today!

  15. The audience is mentioning new brands to me today. I was not familiar with Rikes. Thanks for sharing Linda!

  16. Pam, I am also reading this book and can’t put it down. When I graduated from college I wanted to work in management in a department store. I was accepted into a management training program at Bonwit Teller but chose to get married instead. Oh well! We’ve been married for 50 years so I guess it was a good choice. Anyway I used to go to Marshall Fields with my mother shopping for fall clothes every year.
    I also like to shop in department stores but it seems lately they are becoming more like the discount stores which tend to be very messy and no displays for suggestions. Anyway great book.

  17. I have fond memories of the stores I used to love to shop in when I was working and as a young mother. The small local department stores that weren’t chains were my life line. I live in an area of NJ that’s “mall central” and I had all the popular department stores at my finger tips. I am also a short trip over the bridge to NYC. Now it saddens me to see how many are gone. Losing Lord and Taylor really hurt the most for me. The are so many empty stores in our area now and those that remain just don’t have the stock or the service they did in the past. I continue to shop in department stores because ordering clothes online without feeling the fabric, seeing the actual colors and trying them on for fit just doesn’t appeal to me. I will definitely check out this book! Looks like a great read.
    Happy Monday! Linda Ann

  18. I agree with you that some have gone messy with poor customer service and those are the ones in trouble. I do you think you made the right choice…for many reasons! It is sad to read what happens to the stores she features.

  19. Thanks for sharing, Linda Ann. As I wrote, some of the story does evoke sadness in me.

  20. Thank you, you brought back memories also for me. Mom and I would go to May Company every Saturday and end our day of shopping at the department store diner with strawberry pie.

  21. The nostalgia in me loves the Department Store vibe. Remember Floor Walkers? I remember the thrill when I was about 20 years old in going to Stix, Baer and Fuller (which later became our Dillards) with my girlfriend to have a shrimp salad sandwich on cheese bread at their cafe. So much fun! We also had Famous-Barr (became Macy’s) with their delightful sales ladies dressed in suits and wearing a carnation badge with their years of service. They were the best. I still have dreams of walking through that store. There is a PBS series called “Selfridge” which is so good. It tells the history of the Selfridge Department Store in London. It has a “Palm Court.” Wow! When I was in London, I had to visit. Even though this store is modernized and very different now, it was still fun to see. Thanks for this great post, Pam.

  22. I love these stories! Thank you for sharing, Marcia! Wish some of these stores would return to where I could take granddaughters to shop and enjoy a cafe! Would love just one where I now live!

  23. wow! great post and wonderful responses from your followers. I work at a college with a fashion merchandising degree. I plan to recommend this book to her for her program.
    I also have fond memories of going to department stores as a child with my mother. I grew up in a rural area that didn’t have department stores. a trip to NJ to the malls in Bergen County was a real treat.
    great new information and fond memories!

  24. The book is a must read for fashion and business courses with an important slice of history. You will enjoy it, Nancy

  25. I will read this book! As a life-long Chicagoan, I loved Marshall Fields until Macy’s bought them – they are not even close to the wonders of Field’s. Escalators are always broken, clothes are on the floor, no saleswomen no, only cashiers. I also shopped at Chas. A. Stevens (gone) and Carson Pirie Scott (also gone). No wonder I shop so much online!

  26. Loved reading your notes today, and so many wonderful memories from fellow readers. I have many special shopping memories, most of which were with my dear mother. We lived in Reno when I was a young girl, and mother and I would “make a day of it” as she’d say…visiting the big indoor mall, stopping at a variety of department stores. We never left without lingering at the pet shop windows. We would then proceed to a Bob’s Big Boy across the way to enjoy a hamburger and fries. It wasn’t fancy, or tea room style like I would experience in my twenties as a young career girl, but I cherish the memory of all those days holding my mother’s hand, shopping, and learning how to conduct myself.

  27. Sadly, you are right about many stores. I hope there is time for changes. I shop online, but much prefer in person. Thanks Michele!

  28. This book is now on my must-read list. Your description evoked so many wonderful memories. My first experience with a real department store, apologies to JC Penney & Sears, was in junior high school when my older sister took me into the city, Indianapolis, at Christmas. We looked at the beautifully decorated windows & stores. Later in my life, I worked in the city & shopped there because I was buying my own clothes. One store had a lovely tearoom, & ladies still talk about the chicken salad & chicken velvet soup served there.
    I still shop department stores, although there are far fewer these days. I still prefer shopping at a brick & mortar store because I like to feel a garment & try it on. Shoes for me are a must try on item. Sadly, so many of us prefer fast fashion & don’t enjoy the shopping experience anymore.

  29. Linda Ann, I really liked your comment b/c feeling the material and seeing how it drapes makes a difference. (I also like to feel quality books when I buy them. I know, I know, but I still like the experience.) Women often didn’t work in our mothers’ day, so they had more time to shop. Even in the 1990s, the “T” going into the city was filled with working girls like me and older women going in for breakfast and a day of shopping. I don’t have friends who would want to drive up to the city these days. Sadly, I tend to make it to Talbots (40 minutes away) now only when I’m returning something I’ve bought online. It’s okay, though, b/c I’m shopping my closet this year.

  30. I assure you that I still enjoy the experience, Becky. The memories are wonderful as you shared and I would love to make new ones with family.

  31. I am with you on the books, Maeve. I write all over a book…making notes..circling quotes and noting words I may want to check definitions or usage of…that is why I do not get them at the library; however, I love a good second hand book store!

  32. Yes! Jill…Frosts was one of the first places I went in downtown San Antonio when I moved there. I loved it and also Joske’s was there across from the Alamo. But Frosts was more like the New York stores this book is about. Thanks for reminding me.

  33. I just requested the book from the library. Looks to be popular. I grew up in the Detroit area. We had J L Hudson, later known just as Hudson’s. The downtown store was fabulous. I remember the elevator attendants wore white gloves and announce at each floor the departments housed there. At Christmas time and entire floor was turned into a fairyland. Hudson’s became the anchor store at the various malls that grew up around the city & suburbs. They were not as large but were still true department stores with furniture, home shop, books & stationary, hardware (yes), restaurants, beauty salon and a bridal shop. At Christmas they had a special shop where employees would help children shop for modestly priced gifts for their parents. My mother worked in the cash office. Hudson’s was sold to Marshall Fields and lost some of the specialty shops. Eventually Macy’s took over and it became more generic. The Chicago Marshall Fields was special as was Macy’s in San Francisco where I lived in the 70s. We used to go there for brunch all the time. Here in Asheville we have a Dillard’s and I shop there for shoes, cosmetics and bras. I go upstairs to the fashion section and its almost deserted, just a few clerks and no other customers. Downstairs where shoes, cosmetics and jewelry are is always busy. Sorry this is so long.

  34. Janet and I have similar experiences! I was born and raised in Flint, Michigan. When I was ten, my mother gave me bus money and cherry coke money to head downtown to the big department store to buy my weekly Nancy Drew book. It was safe for a small blonde girl to ride a city bus and walk downtown and look at the window displays. The bookstore was on the mezzanine and so was the diner. I’m 80 and I still remember that elegant department store. I wish I could remember the name. I lived in Flint until 1976 when my ex husband and I moved to Des Moines, IA. There was more there for shopping experiences. I found Talbots and Dillards. I was very petite so they had good sales for me to check out. My now wonderful husband of 31 years and I moved to Colorado in 1995 to Buena Vista where he drove down to Salida to work as an ER physician and I worked in ICU. There were only little boutique shops in both small towns. We had to drive 2 1/2 hours to Colorado Springs quarterly to stock up and get any clothes we needed. We headed to REI for all of our hiking, camping, biking and skiing gear. The rest was just jeans and tees and flannel shirts and pajamas. Now we live down in Canon City, actually we moved here in 1999 for a better ER job for Brent. But now in retirement, we go infrequently to the city 50+ miles away to Dillards and Nordstrom. Lots of memories and I love to touch the fabric and look at the construction of the garment to. The book sounds like a wonderful read.

  35. I am #4 on the library wait list for this book! When I was 13, my mother would let me take the bus from my home in White Bear Lake, MN to downtown St. Paul to shop for clothes at Dayton’s (now Macy’s) department store. I had siblings who were 7, 5 & 3 and we only had one car, so it was hard for her to take me shopping. Dayton’s was like a wonderland, and the sales ladies were so helpful even though I was a lowly teen. The River Room was famous for its chicken salad and popovers. I felt so grown up! St Paul also had The Emporium, Donaldson’s and Field Schlick. The Christmas window displays were magical. The mall near me has a Macy’s that isn’t on the chopping block and Dillards just opened before Christmas. I am impressed with the customer service at Dillards! Our Macy’s is well-maintained, so I was surprised to read Michele B’s comment—though I agree that saleswomen are gone and only cashiers remain. I hope Dillards can survive.

    Just my opinion, but stores have primed us for sales by setting prices so high. A tee shirt for $89 is ridiculous, especially knowing that the store will soon offer 30-50% off. I have all I need, so I will wait for a sale on those pieces I would like but aren’t essential to my wardrobe.

  36. Don’t apologize for length… we love hear what you have to say…especially today with so many memories
    Thanks Kathie!

  37. Thanks for sharing your memories, Sydney. I can just envision the young girl riding the bus, peering in the windows and ordering her cherry coke!

  38. Good afternoon, Pamela. I am so happy to read your review of the book I recommended. You also struck a chord with our readers! It is so bittersweet. You are lucky to have quality department stores in your region. Here in the northeast I remember Jordan Marsh and Filenes. The blueberry muffins at Jordan Marsh’s cafe were renown. My mother was over the moon when someone gave her the recipe. In the 60s we had to go to Boston to shop those stores, but they finally came closer to us in the 70s. In Maine we had some lovely family owned department stores in our vicinity that have left an indelible mark on me. I remember buying pairs of nylons out of slim boxes, Charles of the Ritz mascara refills, and being able to take an outfit home for 3 days to decide whether to buy it. Imagine. After college I was accepted into the executive training program at Bloomingdale’s and became an assistant buyer. We had a fabric department, a bakery that you could access from the sidewalk , and a floor of decorated rooms of unusual furnishings and style designed by the wonderfully talented Barbara D’Arcy, another strong woman with vision and perseverance. At that time Bloomies was run by men and part of a federation of department stores. Bergdorf Goodman, a few blocks away, had Dawn Mello at the fashion helm and she, being female, was discussed with such awe by us female buyers. Little did we know of her predecessors. I wish I had known the history of Fifth Ave. stores when I was in NYC. You are so right when you mentioned how this book should be on the reading list on various career paths. I wish I had written it.

  39. I am #4 on the library wait list for this book! When I was 13, my mother would let me take the bus from my home in White Bear Lake, MN to downtown St. Paul to shop for clothes at Dayton’s (now Macy’s) department store. I had siblings who were 7, 5 & 3 and we only had one car, so it was hard for her to take me shopping. Dayton’s was like a wonderland, and the sales ladies were so helpful even though I was a lowly teen. The River Room was famous for its chicken salad and popovers. I felt so grown up! St Paul also had The Emporium, Donaldson’s and Field Schlick. The Christmas window displays were magical. The mall near me has a Macy’s that isn’t on the chopping block and Dillards just opened before Christmas. I am impressed with the customer service at Dillards! Our Macy’s is well-maintained, so I was surprised to read Michele B’s comment—though I agree that saleswomen are gone and only cashiers remain. I hope Dillards can survive.

    Just my opinion, but stores have primed us for sales by setting prices so high. A tee shirt for $89 is ridiculous, especially knowing that the store will soon offer 30-50% off. I have all I need, so I will wait for a sale on those pieces I would like but aren’t essential to my wardrobe.

  40. I have been waiting and hoping you would comment, Deborah! Thank you so much for the book recommendation. I enjoyed it so much that I ordered her book on The Plaza hotel.

  41. I used to love Macy’s. I bought almost all of my teaching clothes there, as did other women of my demographic. It makes me so sad to see Macy’s today. One encouraging thing, however, is when I was in Macy’s last October, they had a large area filled with long dresses meant for the Marine Corps Ball. I saw young women shopping together for their ball gowns. It was a happy thing to see.

  42. I was thinking of ordering her other book, too! I wonder what she is working on next. I am so touched by all these stories that the women here have of their younger years of shopping. It is amazing what shapes and touches us that we don’t always examine until a subject like this arises. My friend from junior high (who was also a sew-er with me) talk about our town’s downtown stores all the time. They are all long gone, but we hold the memories. I need to write a short memoir in my journal! I am thrilled that you enjoyed it. There is nothing like marking up a good book!

  43. Pam— I am catching up on my reading so I am just now seeing this post. I ordered the book. Thank you for the recommendation; I love department store shopping, especially Dillards. When I first moved to Houston there was Sakowitz with a lunch counter with the most popular chicken salad item. It was pure luxury for me to go there on my lunch break. There was also Joske’s that Dillards purchased and took over. These were absolute heaven for this small town East Texas girl. Have you read about Estée Lauder? She and Mary Kay have great stories. I taught Mary Kay’s granddaughters years ago and heard lots about her. Fascinating women.

  44. Yes…I do know those stories…especially Mary Kay, a Texas success story. And I also remember Sakowitz…the comments today brought back memories of places I have not thought of in years. Enjoy the book, Nyla.

  45. I live in a shopping desert. There are maybe two boutiques and a very run down Macys that might as well close. Twice a year, friends and I take a 40 min freeway, plus toll stretch of the freeway, to visit a charming town square with a Chicos, Talbots. JJill and a couple of boutiques. Otherwise, it is shop online for their items that I know will fit from brands I already have. I guess I am saving money and am likely overdressed for where I live. Apart from the shopping vacuum, where I live has beautiful scenery, and a couple of excellent yarn shops and my wonderful friends.

  46. Belatedly catching up on posts, as I still have houseguests, but this one is special! As a young girl in Fort Worth, Texas I always looked forward to going to Leonard’s Department Store at Christmas time. They later became Dillard’s but was never the same. There was a subway train that you rode from a remote parking area, which took customers to the basement level of the store. That floor housed the toy department year-round, but it was extra special during the holiday season. That is where I always saw Santa, and for a country kid like me, the holiday displays were dazzling. I remember driving the downtown streets to see all the window displays, and I miss those so much. Our local children’s hospital still does them along the wall of their parking garage, and they switch them out seasonally, which is really a nostalgic treat for those of us who remember downtown department store windows. My mother made all my clothes for financial reasons, and I longed for those mother-daughter shopping days so many have described here. When I got my first full-time job at sixteen, I soon got my first credit card at Sanger-Harris (later Foley’s, now Macy’s) and a second one at Joske’s. I was mesmerized by the glamourous sales clerks and bought some sort of work appropriate clothing and a new pair of cheap shoes every time I got paid. After a lifetime of foot issues, I now wish I had learned earlier that fewer but better shoes was the way to go! I look forward to reading the book you and Deborah have recommended, and hope we can discuss it as a group when more of us have had a chance to enjoy it. I learn so much from the information you share and the comments from the reader community. Thanks for another great post!

  47. All these names from the past have evoked so many memories for me this week…Sanger–Harris and Foley’s are two more I remember well….especially Foley’s for me. Thank you for taking the time to jump in.

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