{"id":9766,"date":"2023-07-02T22:43:01","date_gmt":"2023-07-02T22:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/have-you-visited-macys-state-street-chicago-because-you-should\/"},"modified":"2023-07-02T22:43:01","modified_gmt":"2023-07-02T22:43:01","slug":"have-you-visited-macys-state-street-chicago-because-you-should","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/have-you-visited-macys-state-street-chicago-because-you-should\/","title":{"rendered":"Have you visited Macy’s State Street Chicago? Because you should!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This is Georganne, reporting from Chicago. <\/span><\/p>\n

After an amazing first day of leading “The Next Wave of
\nLoyalty Track” at the Retail Innovation Conference & Expo I was
\nexcited to take Ian Scott and Jack Stratten, two of our favorite retail wizards
\nfrom the U.K., on an exploration trip to Marshall Field & Company’s
\nflagship store on Chicago’s State Street – now Macy’s – was a must. <\/span><\/p>\n

I began my retail career at T.A. Chapman’s, a four store,
\nindie-owned department store chain located in and around Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
\nChapman’s flagship store on Milwaukee’s Wisconsin Avenue was a show-stopper and
\nit was a privilege to work there. <\/span><\/p>\n

I still love a good department store, and Macy’s State
\nStreet is one of the best. I love that the top floor not only houses the
\nworld-famous Walnut Room, but also a Marshall Field’s mini history museum and
\nThe Archive, a spacious area filled with historical store treasures.<\/span><\/p>\n

This trip
\nwe saw window and display props from decades of the store’s annual Flower
\nShow, a Norman Rockwell display featuring Field’s famous clock, glass cases of
\nmerchandise sold over the decades, a memorial to Field’s employees who were
\nlost in WWI, and the paneling from Marshall Field’s Board Room. This paneling
\nwas built in the U.K. in 1609 and brought and reassembled in Field’s in the
\n1800s. Fun fact: the paneling ultimately ended up in the office of the VP of Visual
\nMerchandising, which I say well deserved! <\/span><\/p>\n

We also found our way into deserted rooms of display props,
\nand Lord knows what else. Which of course we were obligated to check out… <\/span><\/p>\n

I can get lost in this store. The overall merchandising was
\ntypically Macy’s, although a lot tidier than what we have found lately in the
\nbranch stores, but it’s Marshall Field’s history that makes it a special place.
\nSpecial is what I feel in old department stores. In their day – and I am
\ntalking as recently as the 70s and 80s – department stores were amazing places,
\nsome still are. I feel sad for the generations of retailers who never got to
\nexperience working in one of these Grande Dames, and for shoppers who never had
\nthe chance to visit.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This photo was taken in the fabulous Walnut Room. If you
\nhave never had the chance to eat here put it on your list the next time you
\nvisit Chicago.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The Walnut Room still serves Mrs. Sarah Hering’s pot pie
\nrecipe. And it’s good! In 1890, Mrs. Hering, an associate in the millinery
\ndepartment, overheard shoppers talking about lunch and offered them the
\nhomemade chicken potpie she had brought for her lunch that day. She set a beautiful
\ntable and served her pot pie. The ladies so enjoyed their luncheon they
\nconvinced Mrs. Hering to do it again the next day, promising to bring friends
\nwith them to visit her and try on the latest in chapeaus.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Soon after, Marshall Field’s opened its first restaurant.
\nBrilliant!<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Great American Flag made its debut at Marshall Field’s in
\n1916. It is 5000 square feet of pure wool and weighs 500 pounds. It was
\nreplicated in 2003, adding a curved bottom that replicates a flag waving in the
\nwind.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I love how Macy’s honors the Marshall Field &. Co legacy.
\nMr. Field was known for saying, “Give the lady what she wants!” Add
\nthe book Give
\nthe Lady What She Wants: The Story of Marshall Field & Company to
\nyour reading list.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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This visit The Archive featured window and display props
\nfrom past Flower Shows, some going back decades.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Flower Show was stated by Marshall Field & Company in 1946.<\/span><\/div>\n

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This exquisite paneling was once part of Marshall
\nField’s Board Room. It was built in the U.K. in 1609 and brought and
\nreassembled in Field’s State Street in the 1800s. Fun fact: Part of the paneling ultimately ended up
\nin the office of the VP of Visual Merchandising.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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More from The Archive. These items were sold at Field’s in its early decades.<\/span><\/div>\n
The fixtures are original to the store, too.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Norman Rockwell’s tribute to Marshall Field’s famous clock,
\na Chicago landmark that can be found outside the store. A favorite saying of
\nChicagoans’ was (is) “Meet me under the clock at Marshall Field’s!”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The incredible Tiffany Dome at Field’s was unveiled in 1907.
\nIt was personally supervised by Mr. Tiffany himself. The 6,000 square feet of
\nmosaic was hand created by 50 artisans, most of whom were women.<\/span><\/div>\n
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The fountain on the first floor is another popular meeting spot. It was originally set to be built around 1900 but it never happened. When an architectural research firm found the original plans the fountain was finally built in 1992, in time for the retailer’s centennial.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Afterward visiting retailers along State Street , we had a fabulous dinner at Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse. Harry is another Chicago legend – HOLY COW! And that handsome man pictured with Ian, Jack and me? That’s my husband, Rob.<\/span><\/div>\n

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COPYRIGHT KIZER & BENDER 2023  |  RETAIL ADVENTURES BLOG<\/span><\/div>\n

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\"Retail<\/a><\/p>
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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