urbanSTL

Macy's downtown Chicago on State will also consolidate according to WGN News last night.

the store will have 5 floors instead of 12.



I think it is the wave of the future. These huge stores are expensive and vast space.



Downtown STL's store should look great when completed... I have faith they will keep the restaurants and the stores unique items/details because they do well for the store.



I understand that the redo (according to the store gen. manager) will include all street windows to be reopened.

That is really great news.

matguy70 wrote:Downtown STL's store should look great when completed... I have faith they will keep the restaurants and the stores unique items/details because they do well for the store.



I understand that the redo (according to the store gen. manager) will include all street windows to be reopened.

That is really great news.

That sounds very encouraging!

matguy70 wrote:Macy's downtown Chicago on State will also consolidate according to WGN News last night.

the store will have 5 floors instead of 12.



I think it is the wave of the future. These huge stores are expensive and vast space.



Downtown STL's store should look great when completed... I have faith they will keep the restaurants and the stores unique items/details because they do well for the store.



I understand that the redo (according to the store gen. manager) will include all street windows to be reopened.

That is really great news.

Hopefully management will follow through on this- it would make the store much more inviting.



If Macy's handles the transition well and strengthens the merchandise offered within, this could be a great move for the downtown store.



I also saw something recently (can't remember if it was the Miami Herald or the Sun-Sentinel) that said Macy's is planning something similar for the former Burdines flagship in downtown Miami. Downsizing and repositioning these stores is probably necessary for survival of the species, as there are just aren't many downtown department stores left (and ironically, most of them are now Macy's locations). It's not ideal, but it's far better than the likely alternative.



That said, some people in Chicago aren't going to be too happy about a shrunken State Street store. I haven't checked out the website devoted to saving/bringing back the Marshall Field's name, but I can only imagine the level of outrage since that announcement was made. At least it's sticking around, though, which Carson's parent Bon-Ton didn't do when it closed the flagship State Street store a couple of years ago.

JMedwick wrote:This is a key part of the whole rehabilitation. While there is no doubt that the downtown store is in need of serious updating (i.e. more than a coat of white paint to dilute the mauve color scheme), all the updating will not matter if the merchandise does not also improve. I hope that with the updating Macy's will put some effort into capitalizing on the store's heritage/age, revealing some of the older decorative features.

Absolutely. The merchandise offerings must improve, or these efforts may be all for naught. Although the basic makeover that Macy's gave the place when it replaced the Famous-Barr nameplate three years ago helped, more extensive work (incorporating the historic details of the store where possible) should be done.

Through the rehabilitation process, Macy's will need to put some thought into how it will handle the connection to the parking garage, given that the access is on the fourth floor.

That's my biggest concern. I'm also concerned about the loss of the Saint Louis Room. While its dated appearance may not be as charming as the classic look of Papa Fabarre's, it still draws a pretty good crowd during lunch, and it's the only space large enough to hold Breakfast with Santa and other special events. I doubt that Macy's is planning to do this, but I'd like to see them move the Saint Louis Room to the fourth level so there would still be two restaurants and a special events space. A location on the bridge level would draw more business from people parking in the Macy's and Kiener garages since they are both connected, and the merchandise there could be moved to one of the other three levels.

While I don't mind the 3 floor model (I figure it will be a basic Macy's layout, pretty much like the suburban stores), Macy's is missing an opportunity to not develop the basement as a surplus merchandise/sale outlet. It would give the downtown store a unique draw (the regional collection of sales merchandise) and perhaps attract more customers for the downtown store (which would benefit the three "normal" floors).

I absolutely agree. I heard rumors a couple of years ago about Macy's reopening the basement and basement mezzanine areas for dining space and/or clearance merchandise, and this would be a way to draw more customers into the downtown store for regularly priced merchandise as well.



I think Macy's Downtown will look much better and offer a more vibrant shopping environment once the remodeling and downsizing is complete, but I really hope Macy's will make more of an effort with merchandising and store positioning than they've done in the last three years.

The Central Scrutinizer wrote:It's (the candy counter) a pathetic shell of what it once was. I certainly won't go out of my way to go there.

It isn't as good as it was when I was a kid, but my 6 y/o son is still pretty satisfied with the selection there, so I'd hate to see it go.

I understand that the redo (according to the store gen. manager) will include all street windows to be reopened.

That is really great news.





that is so exciting. does anyone have pictures of what the interior used to look like? talk about a cool shopping experience. opening the windows to the street, etc. it will make a huge difference. a mall store or this magnificent building that could be in New York... hmmmmm

matguy70 wrote:Macy's downtown Chicago on State will also consolidate according to WGN News last night.

the store will have 5 floors instead of 12.

I can't find this news anywhere.

Macy's is totally slammed today - great to see.

We've been to Macy's four times in three days, and from what we've seen, it's been pretty busy most of the time over the last several days.



Today the area where much of the fine jewelry near the west Locust Street entrance was before the recent clearance sale was blocked off with "Pardon us while we make exciting changes" signage. Is Macy's already following through with its plans to downsize the store? I guess I'd better bring my camera next time!

We've been around this barn before in the forum. I don't see this as great news unless Macy's has just recently figured out how it can outperform it's competitors. The answer is not making the downtown store conform to a standard template. Clothing is only the baseline and its far too competitive to hang all your hats on. What has the potential to WOW the visitor when they enter the store and attract visitors to the store?



Comparative and Competitive Advantage of the Downtown Store

The potential to offer unique experiences.

Unusual and historic restaurants.

Available space for community meetings with catering.

A candy counter with potential for a full confectionary.

A gourmet snack bar.

Windows.

Historic design elements underneath drywall.

The opportunity to offer a full Hallmark card shop.

etc...

I think something that would make a huge difference in the shopping experience at the downtown Macy's would be if they opened up some of the windows on the upper floors and allowed some natural light into the shopping spaces. The place is such a cave, which is strange because their are literally hundreds of windows that could shine in to the shopping floors. I have always found the atmosphere oppressive there and I think this would really help. Think about doing Christmas shopping and watching it snow on downtown. Or watching the Salvation Army kettle get stolen by some punks.

TGE-ATW wrote:I think something that would make a huge difference in the shopping experience at the downtown Macy's would be if they opened up some of the windows on the upper floors and allowed some natural light into the shopping spaces. The place is such a cave, which is strange because their are literally hundreds of windows that could shine in to the shopping floors. I have always found the atmosphere oppressive there and I think this would really help. Think about doing Christmas shopping and watching it snow on downtown. Or watching the Salvation Army kettle get stolen by some punks.

I like that idea. I once shopped at a department store in Copenhagen that was in an old building like the Railway Exchange - its windows were exposed to let in outside light, and it really made for a pleasant store.

I agree about the windows. One of the few things I liked about St. Louis Centre was that there were windows on the upper floors that made it feel a little less like you were shopping at Chesterfield Mall

The Count wrote:I really like the fact that Culinaria is teaming up with Macy on the events. The two big chains downtown working together will benefit both.

Especially once Macy's completes their revovation. Hopefully it will help start something of a retail corridor.

JMedwick wrote:No doubt that Olive has that potential. The street width plus the presence of two main anchors (Macy's and Schnucks), Olive has the makings of the primary retail street in downtown, particularly once something happens with the Arcade building.

I've been hoping to see Olive as the retail heart of downtown for about a decade now. It's always been my favorite street downtown, and if/when the Arcade and the old Chemical are rehabbed, it will be a very lively street.

JMedwick wrote:It is actually kinda sad that Left Bank Books is also along that Olive Corridor.

Do you mean NOT on that corridor? If so, I agree with you on one level, but on another, I think it's good that it's somewhat off that stretch. Between Olive, Washington, and the sports facilities, there isn't a whole lot to "connect" these areas yet, and the location of LBB helps in that regard.

I would love to see Olive regain its status as downtown's premier retail district. In particular, a renovated Arcade Building would be absolutely amazing to see - man, I hope that happens soon.



One thing holding Olive back is the various dead zones created by surface lots and certain buildings, like the LGL Building (employment offices on the first floor, curtains closed 24/7) and 1111 Olive (although there are plans to renovate that building, so maybe we'll see first floor retail there).



The worst parking lot has to be the one at 6th and Olive, where Boyd's used to be. I posted a few pics of what was lost on my blog yesterday: Link

DeBaliviere wrote:I would love to see Olive regain its status as downtown's premier retail district. In particular, a renovated Arcade Building would be absolutely amazing to see - man, I hope that happens soon.



One thing holding Olive back is the various dead zones created by surface lots and certain buildings, like the LGL Building (employment offices on the first floor, curtains closed 24/7) and 1111 Olive (although there are plans to renovate that building, so maybe we'll see first floor retail there).



The worst parking lot has to be the one at 6th and Olive, where Boyd's used to be. I posted a few pics of what was lost on my blog yesterday: Link

I agree about the potential for Olive Street to become the heart of downtown retail again. And BTW, nice find with the photos! I've been searching for a long time for photos of Boyd's and its neighboring structures. The absence of those buildings really ruins the streetscape across from Macy's, and if they could be filled with tenants, that would only help the store now.



The buildings demolished to make way for St. Louis Centre were not as distinctive as those lost on Olive Street, but they provided a dense link of businesses between Macy's (then Famous-Barr) and Dillard's (formerly Stix Baer & Fuller). So it would be nice to see the retail focused on Olive Street, but also extending north to The Laurel along Sixth and Seventh streets just as it once did to take advantage of pedestrian traffic in and out of America's Center.



That's why I'm so disappointed in the rumors swirling around about St. Louis Centre. Using the upper floors of the entire complex exclusively for parking would be a waste, even if there is retail space on the main level, as that area is crying out for density to support the amount of retail that the area once had. I really hope the finished product will include at least some residential or commercial space on the upper floors, to maximize the potential for retail here, and most importantly, to ensure that Macy's maintains a long-term presence in the area.

TGE-ATW wrote:I think something that would make a huge difference in the shopping experience at the downtown Macy's would be if they opened up some of the windows on the upper floors and allowed some natural light into the shopping spaces. The place is such a cave, which is strange because their are literally hundreds of windows that could shine in to the shopping floors. I have always found the atmosphere oppressive there and I think this would really help. Think about doing Christmas shopping and watching it snow on downtown. Or watching the Salvation Army kettle get stolen by some punks.

The spaces between the shopping floor and the windows used to be the old Famous-Barr corporate offices. That's pretty much the case in any old, downtown department store. Back in the May Company days, that was the case for the Kaufmann's store in Pittsburgh, Filene's in Boston, Meier & Frank in Portland, Foley's in Houston, and Lord & Taylor in NY. Same went for Macy's in SF, Miami and NY.