Changes have already begun at Famous downtown. I noticed yesterday that the aisles have been cleared of the cluttered merchandising look. Also, I didn't notice a single On Sale sign--something that practically every item had before. It also appeared that the floor had been swept! I guess expectations of Macy's will be easy to fulfill.



Has anyone heard of the signage change? Maybe they'll have a grand opening too?

I was in there today, and the men's department looks to be a little better organized and it looks like they might be adding more merchandise.



Whoever recommended that Macy's go with a more turn-of-the-century look was spot on. I'd like to see it differentiated from the suburban stores (I miss the old wooden escalators).

From what I've heard, the merchandise will change dramatically in September. That's when we'll see the switch from the Famous-Barr vendors to the Macy's vendors.

Walked through the store again today and realize that I spoke too soon. It is cleaner and better organized by everything in sight is still on sale. Maybe they blitzed it last night.

I thought maybe they'd keep the old Famous-Barr plaques up in addition to new Macy's signage as a nod to local tradition. I hope they save them at least, and possibly display them somewhere else...it's not like Famous-Barr is their competition anymore.

^ don't take that as gospel, but someone else said that new Macy's signs were up, so I think that's where I got the idea that the F-B plaques were taken down. Anyone know for sure? And if they're still up, if they're going to stay up?

^ I'm not sure whether the plaques are up or not, or whether or not they're coming down eventually. They were in place when I shopped there last Wednesday, but then there were no Macy's logos on the doors then either, so a lot can change in a week. I think it's possible that Macy's might preserve some if not all of the plaques, but who knows?



I do hope that when the Famous-Barr signs on the north and south sides of the roof are brought down, that a Macy's roof sign replaces them, at least on the Olive Street side. Because, after all, the Railway Exchange Building is visible from inside the new Busch Stadium. The potential for some "free" advertising is there IMHO.

If they take the plaques down, let's hope they end up in the history museum or some place where they can be preserved and displayed. Wonder what happend to the old signs for Scruggs & Stix?

ThreeOneFour wrote:

stl555 wrote:don't take that as gospel, but someone else said that new Macy's signs were up, so I think that's where I got the idea that the F-B plaques were taken down. Anyone know for sure?

I'm not sure whether the plaques are up or not, or whether or not they're coming down eventually. They were in place when I shopped there last Wednesday, but then there were no Macy's logos on the doors then either

I happened to be shopping their yesterday and didn't notice any Macy's logos, but of course I wasn't really looking. Hopefully I would have noticed something like that, but I could have been distracted. I do recall that the F-B plaques were still on the building.

I was there again today. The beautiful outside plaques are still on the walls. At the all entry doors at dtreet level - the vestibule areas have Macy's n the wall posters there now. and noticed the advertising inside had the Macy's logo too.

The Famous Barr website currently has Macy's all over it.



www.famousbarr.com

It was me that said they should open up the windows to their former size- ALL the way around the building. Make it look like a department store in New York or Paris.. The building itself could be in either city. I swear I could kick Gene Khan's teeth in over the whole buyout.. May should have bought out Federated in the early 90's. then this Fat F from New York comes in and ruins everything.. so sad..

^Kind of like Kahn with TWA in the 80's.

steve wrote:^Kind of like Kahn with TWA in the 80's.

I think you mean Icahn.

True. Thanks.

JCity wrote:It was me that said they should open up the windows to their former size- ALL the way around the building. Make it look like a department store in New York or Paris.. The building itself could be in either city. I swear I could kick Gene Khan's teeth in over the whole buyout.. May should have bought out Federated in the early 90's. then this Fat F from New York comes in and ruins everything.. so sad..

ain't that the truth! just a few years ago May was kicking Federated butt and now this! what in the world happen?

Here is a photo of the signs that are just inside the new Downtown Macy's (taken 04/10/06)







Windows are atractive too:

^ I agree, but I wish Macy's would start decorating the windows along the Seventh Street side. Since Famous-Barr removed the entrance from that side a few years ago, and stopped decorating the windows along that stretch, it gives the impression the store is closed and abandoned.



Memo to Macy's Midwest: I don't have window decorating experience, but I would gladly volunteer to decorate the windows that are blank now! I'd see it as my civic duty!

ThreeOneFour wrote:Memo to Macy's Midwest: I don't have window decorating experience, but I would gladly volunteer to decorate the windows that are blank now! I'd see it as my civic duty!

OK, I know you were winking and only kidding but there might be a spark of an idea there. I've seen other stores that offered up window dec duties to volunteer groups who noted their accomplishments on a sign (e.g., "This Window Decorated by the XYZ Design Club at Washington University", etc.)



Wonder if Macy's would be open to such a suggestion?

Wouldn't that put the window decoraters out of business?



Years ago, my next-door neighbor was a full-time window decorater for Famous-Barr. Considering that department store windows are not what they used to be, I wonder if they still employ full-time window decoraters.

Back in my retail days - which was in high school back in the 90's - I worked at JCPenney and they had a decorating "department." I think there were 2 employees in the department who were in charge of all of the manequins, window displays, etc.

Great idea about the windows. A downtown store is so different from a mall store because of pedestrian traffic. A mall store can do without the physical and visual connections because they don't have foot traffic. Maybe Macy's should consider renovating all four sides of the downtown building, restoring historic entrances, decorating all windows, etc... It now seems really foolish for May Co. to have closed the 7th street entrance.

Matt wrote:Great idea about the windows. A downtown store is so different from a mall store because of pedestrian traffic. A mall store can do without the physical and visual connections because they don't have foot traffic. Maybe Macy's should consider renovating all four sides of the downtown building, restoring historic entrances, decorating all windows, etc... It now seems really foolish for May Co. to have closed the 7th street entrance.

I was thinking leave the "main" windows to the professionals (yes, I'm sure they still exist -- they're "visual merchandisers", right?) but have various groups do the currently-abandoned windows (eh, have them cleaned first.)



So say my little darling and the rest of her hypothetical classmates in Mrs Smith's 7th grade art class did the Spring Display on one of the windows downtown .... you bet I'd trek from my home in the county downtown to see little Brittany's work. And so would a couple other families. And hey, while we're there, let's browse around Macy's. Oh, and grab some lunch. Wow, this downtown shopping thing is the coolest thing ever! I think I'll tell everyone in my bunco group what a great time we had!



And so on, and so on......