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The only remaining department store in Downtown Dallas is Neiman-Marcus. The other stores like Titche-Goettinger (500,000 sq ft) and Sanger-Harris (456,000 sq ft) closed in the 80s. Titche's was one of the largest department stores in Texas. Titche's was rebranded as Joske's in 1979, Dillard's bought Joske's and the store closed in 1987. Sanger-Harris was bought out by Foley's and the store closed in 1987.
While changing demographics have certainly contributed to the virtual disappearance of the downtown department stores, I believe the corporate owners of most department stores caused their own decline.
It used to be that the big flagship department stores were a destination. People went there not just to shop, but for their restaurants and tea rooms, beauty parlors, special events and fashion shows, santa claus at Christmas, etc. But due to cost cutting and a total lack of imagination of current corporate culture, all these extras were eliminated.
Having grown up in California, I remember even 20 years ago a customer could choose from the May Co, Broadway, Robinson's, Bullock's, Buffum's, Nordstrom, Saks, Neiman-Marcus, I. Magnin, and the Boston Store. Just think, 10 different department stores all owned by different corporate parents. They were merchandised differently, carried different brands, each had their own niche and style. Now almost all of them are gone. Now there is only Nordstrom, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Saks, and Neiman-Marcus. Only 5 department stores, and two of them (Macy's and Bloomingdales's have the same corporate parent).
A lot of the old downtown stores were architecturally beautiful and luxurious. They made the customer feel special. Now everything is cookie-cutter and homogenous. All the soul, character, and local color have been sucked out of the department stores by short sighted, unimaginative corporate leaders. Just think what all the great retail titans of the past who created the great names like Marshall Field's, Wannamaker's, Rich's, Filene's, Jordan Marsh, Hudson's, etc. would say about the pygmies who have run their industry into the ground?
While changing demographics have certainly contributed to the virtual disappearance of the downtown department stores, I believe the corporate owners of most department stores caused their own decline.
It used to be that the big flagship department stores were a destination. People went there not just to shop, but for their restaurants and tea rooms, beauty parlors, special events and fashion shows, santa claus at Christmas, etc. But due to cost cutting and a total lack of imagination of current corporate culture, all these extras were eliminated.
Having grown up in California, I remember even 20 years ago a customer could choose from the May Co, Broadway, Robinson's, Bullock's, Buffum's, Nordstrom, Saks, Neiman-Marcus, I. Magnin, and the Boston Store. Just think, 10 different department stores all owned by different corporate parents. They were merchandised differently, carried different brands, each had their own niche and style. Now almost all of them are gone. Now there is only Nordstrom, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Saks, and Neiman-Marcus. Only 5 department stores, and two of them (Macy's and Bloomingdales's have the same corporate parent).
A lot of the old downtown stores were architecturally beautiful and luxurious. They made the customer feel special. Now everything is cookie-cutter and homogenous. All the soul, character, and local color have been sucked out of the department stores by short sighted, unimaginative corporate leaders. Just think what all the great retail titans of the past who created the great names like Marshall Field's, Wannamaker's, Rich's, Filene's, Jordan Marsh, Hudson's, etc. would say about the pygmies who have run their industry into the ground?
*Sigh*, so many "We have a huge Macy's that used to be a _________" responses.
We have a huge Macy's that used to be Marshall Field's. But we have a handful of downtown department stores on State Street and then of course the famous Magnificent Mile, a strip whose fortunes come and go but seems to be doing OK for now.
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