urbanSTL

Build a Target. Build a Target. Build a Target. Build a Target. Build a Target. Or not. Something, though. Soon.

We can hope.

Sheeeit, you're right. Well, Midtown's good, too! But then what to do with Macy's space? I would think stores such as H&M, Apple, or the Men's Wearhouse might be pretty cool to have Downtown! A man can dream.

Personally, I'd rather see Target in Macy's, but it sounds like Midtown is more likely. And as much as I want another Target in the city and more retail in Midtown, I wonder if and how much this will set back the effort to fill the ground floor of the Railway Exchange as well as the impact this will have on downtown retail in general.

On one hand, I have to believe that (1) retailers will realize that Macy's failure was of its own making to some extent as they really didn't do enough to re-energize the store's array of merchandise or its appearance after they downsized it, and (2) smaller specialty retailers may be more successful than a downtown department store anyway (which tend to work only in denser downtowns like San Francisco, Boston, and Chicago these days). On the other hand, I fear that a concentration of retailers in Midtown coupled with a vacant Railway Exchange send an awfully negative message to retailers that may be interested in downtown. And for all of the talk of specialty retailers defining the future of downtown retail, quite a few have failed over the last decade as well.

For the sake of downtown, I hope the former scenario is correct. My crystal ball is a bit blurry, though.

will miss the candy counter - and the fact that I bought like 3 emergency umbrellas there over the past couple of years

beer city wrote:will miss the candy counter - and the fact that I bought like 3 emergency umbrellas there over the past couple of years

Like a glutton for punishment, I went for one last walk through the store yesterday. I think the saddest sight was the empty candy counter. It was one of my favorite stops when I practically lived in Famous-Barr as a child. And I made sure that my children always got some sort of treat whenever they accompanied my wife and I at Macy's.

Most of the fixtures left behind were nothing special. I noticed some interesting things in the pictures posted on Vanishing STL, but the prices were dear even when they were supposedly slashed by the liquidator. Oddly, there were several large boxes filled with mannequins and Christmas decorations on the third floor, but nothing was for sale.

I would have loved to have had the Xmas decorations or the etched glass windows with stylized FB logos from Papa Fabarre's, but they were nowhere to be found. And I'm sure any vintage shop owner would kill for all of those mannequins.

But if you want some grungy chairs, shelves, or file cabinets, get there in the next four hours.

So far this has only received coverage in print media. I guess we'll see if the television stations can be bothered to cover the end of 100+ years of retail tradition just blocks away from their studios. I wouldn't count on it.

In a weird way, I don't want it to get the publicity.

The television news media would just turn it into a sad story for the terribly performing city (that's the spin I'm assuming they'd take) that just furthers a false perception.

Maybe I'm being cynical, I don't know.

^ You are probably right. Trust me, it's not a dignified death for a store that defined local retail for over a century.

I'm posting this because there was a lot of misinformation in recent articles related to the closing of Macy's Downtown about the year in which Famous-Barr opened for business in the Railway Exchange Building. I've always been a history buff, and anyone that's followed this thread knows I've always been really interested in the history of Famous-Barr and this building. A lot of the recent articles stated that the store opened in 1924. For some reason, I even recall seeing that date in May Company publications, so I don't know if there was a grand re-opening that year or perhaps an expansion. But anyway, although the text is a bit fuzzy, this advertisement settles it once and for all- the store lasted (almost) 100 years. This was posted on the T-REx Facebook page, and it was originally published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on September 7, 1913:



So the store was around for (almost) 100 years after all. Macy's sure knows how to throw a great 100th anniversary party.

^I saw a couple of episodes, but I don't plan to watch any more. It's based on a true story, an American opening a massive department store in London, and essentially changing the way people shop (for a few decades, anyway). But aside from a few token historical references, the show's basically a cheesy soap opera (and the actor who plays Selfridge is really annoying).

dweebe wrote: Translation: the store is dead meat without governmental financial assistance.
Additional translation: Federated's HQ will be moved somewhere else within a decade.

Yep, and yep. There's no future for these stores with the exception of the busiest downtowns and business districts, like the New York flagship, Chicago, San Francisco, and Boston. Macy's in downtown Los Angeles is getting an overhaul and expansion as part of the remaking of Macy's Plaza. Also, downtown Miami is supposed to get a new Macy's and Bloomingdale's at Miami Worldcenter, near American Airlines Arena. The Macy's in the former Burdine's flagship is really tired and situated away from newer developments. Beyond that, local governments better be prepared for fork over $ to buy some time, but I think most downtown stores outside of the cities I mentioned are on borrowed time anyway.

Meanwhile, back at the Railway Exchange, the display windows at the former Famous-Barr flagship are now completely covered with large pictures of St. Louis tourist attractions. In the absence of any activity, at least it livens up a dormant city block. I just hope they finish the job on Sixth Street- the stupid Macy's stars are still in the window displays on that side.

Inside, the lights are on, and no one's home. I haven't heard of anything new, so I just assume they're on to make it a little less foreboding at nighttime.