Among Friends

[QVCkitty1]

I'm old enough to remember when my mom and I would go shopping in a nearby city ( Elmira , NY. ) it was about a half hour away. Oh my, There were 3 large dept. stores and countless smaller ones. We had such a good time and shopping and lunch with my mom is my favorite memory. By the time I went to college a mall opened up and slowly the downtown became a ghost town. Now the same thing happened to the mall. It is what it is, but it makes me sad. 

[Kachina624]

@Neetgal2    Sigh, I remember those days in Philly and the Wanamaker organ playing at Christmas.  Shopping for good, warm wool coats.  Those were my shopping glory days.

[OKPrincess]

There are two malls close to me, and I have to admit I haven't been to in a few months. 

One has Dillard's and the larger mall has Dillard's, JC Penney and Macy's.

There are several little shops but I don't know what they are.

Dillard's is my go to store or Kohl's if I need something.

[Chopsmom]

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@Neetgal2 wrote:

Our malls are not what they use to be.  I come from the day of a Strawbridge and Clothier in each mall along with at least one other quality department store.   Best of all, Philadelphia, in the good old days, Gimbels, Lits, Strawbridges, Wanamaker and  few others!  Great memories of shopping, eating out and looking at holiday lights and windows.  

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@Neetgal2 

You are so right about long gone department stores.   In Baltimore, we had Hutzlers, Hochschild's, Stewart's.  They were wonderful especially at Christmas time.  They all tried to outdo each other with decorations.   Miss them.

[Boomernichols]

@ECBG I live in a town with about 3,000 people and we have ZERO dept stores.  Our little town has 1 red light, 1 family owned grocery store and 2 pharmacies also locally owned.  We drive 28 miles to get to the NEAREST dept stores, OLD NAVY, BELK, a WALMART, KROGER.

[kaydee50]

Across the street from us there is a mall that has Nordstrom's--have never bought anything there and seldom go in.

Macy's is a 10 minute walk.  Haven't been in that store in a long time but order online and if I have to return an item, it's easy.

Haven't been in Water Tower Place in years.  Nothing of interest in there anymore.

99% of shopping is online.  We used to love going to the malls but times have definitely changed.

[Enufstuff]

@I am still oxox  I loved Lord & Taylor. It was such a pleasure to shop at that store.They had a great petite department and they also had some nice jewelry. I was so sad when our store closed.

   They had the best customer service and lovely boxes and packaging.

[bikerbabe]

I can’t even remember the last time I went to the mall. Years. Not interested.

[Enufstuff]

@Kachina624  It is sad to see the great department stores disappear, along with high quality natural fiber clothing.

  I have been on a quest for a red wool coat for several years.

It also has to be a warm, tomato red, not double breasted and no stand color and in a petite size. (I don't ask for much,LOL)

        Most coats are polyester or acrylic. If you find any wool,it

is only in a wool blend. My last all wool coat was  a Max Mara

from Italy, which I purchased from Lord & Taylor around 2005.

      It is a camel color and I love it. It is starting to wear a little at the cuffs. I do have a plethera of coats, so I don't wear it all the time.

  Now Max Mara wool coats start at $1500 . Some of the styles are not what I would wear and most are black or camel.

  Two months, ago I thought that I had found the perfect red coat, although a wool blend. In the Appleseed's catalog and online it appeared to be a warm red. I ordered it and received it after waiting 6 weeks. Sadly it was a blue red bordering on cranberry. Back it went.

[ECBG]

@Enufstuff 

I would look at Dillards or Nordstrom.