Community Chat

[gardenman]

Retail is a brutally Darwinian business. You can be on top for decades then crash and burn. Back when I was young my mom and I would hit the department stores in Philly. Gimbels, Wanamakers, Strawbridge and Clothier, Lit Brothers, all had unique stuff and a unique feel to them. These days a department store is a department store and it's hard to know which one you're in. They've become homogenized. 

Retail evolves constantly and discards old favorites and replaces them with new retailers. Whoever is the 800-pound gorilla now, will have a lot of people out there looking to take them down and someone will succeed at some point. Then others will target them.

[bonnielu]

None in our area.  Obvously I would not miss them.  There are lots going out.  I was told our Sears is the only one left for miles, meaning in most states they are closed.  

[haddon9]

EJ Korvettes...I worked there for 3 years in the mid 1970s...they had a great record department!

Bambergers

Strawbridges...a Philadelphia department store

Wanamakers..another Philadelphia dept. store

Lots of others already mentioned.

[gardenman]

There was a two-store chain called Almart in Delaware. They were one of the original anchor stores of Concord Mall and had a second store on Kirkwood Highway. They were the earliest store in the area to put out Christmas stuff. They'd typically have a big lawn and garden closeout sale over the Fourth of July weekend and the Christmas stuff would then start coming out and be put on display. By this time of year they'd have their full Christmas selection out and on sale.  They were a neat store in that each store also had a large pet store and greenhouse on-site. Several of our cats came from Almart along with many fish and way too many houseplants.

[Jaspersmom]

I live on LI and remember all these stores. 

What about shoe stores?

AS Beck

National 

Miles 

Ansonia

Thom McAn

Buster Brown

Kinney

[Terrywu]

Chicago ....

Marshall Fields

 Bonwitt Teller

Madigans

Wielboldts

[ScrapHappy]

Grants, McCrory's, Leading Brand, Bradleys

[Pearlee]

Winkelman's Dept Store

[On It]

Joske's in San Antonio

[zitawins]

I remember ...

Dayton's (before it became Marshall Field's)

Power's  (met my late husband there)

Woolworth's

Baker's (good, inexpensive shoes)

Donaldson's

Boutells (kind of high end household decor)

Ah, memories!