Chicago Shopping

[Max]

With the exception of NYC, Chicago is probably America's most popular city for shopping. And, while there is so much Chicago has to offer in terms of shopping, I am going to confine this thread to Chicago's two most popular shopping areas: the Magnificent Mile and the big department stores found on State Street in the Loop. (Feel free, however, to talk about other Chicago shops that are outside these areas.) During the discussion of State Street's department stores, I will extensively discuss my own memories of the legendary (and soon to be defunct) Marshall Field's department store. (Actually, an important reason why I started this thread is because I went on vacation to Chicago a couple of weeks ago solely to check out its shopping scene.)

I will first talk about the Magnificent Mile (located in Chicago's North Side), which is definately Chicago's most popular shopping area. (Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to visit the Magnificent Mile, as I was too busy on State Street.) First, you should know that the term "Magnificent Mile" actually refers to stores located on several blocks of North Michigan Avenue. Specifically, the Magnificent Mile (which is actually about as long as an actual mile) begins at the intersections of North Michigan Avenue and Oak Street and runs all the way south to the Chicago River. The Mile is an extraordinarily upscale place to shop (very similar to New York City's Fifth Avenue) and houses such ultra-expensive stores including Neiman Marcus, Chanel, Burberry's, Georg Jensen, Louis Vuitton, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tiffany & Company, and Burberry's. Two stores of particular note include the large flagship store of Crate & Barrel and the original Niketown store.

Aside from all these free standing stores, the Magnificent Mile is famous for its very tall and upscale shopping malls. The four malls located on North Michigan Avenue are the following:

*Water Tower Place: This is the Mile's oldest (and most popular) mall, built in 1975. It is anchored by Marshall Field's (which, regretably will soon become Macy's; more on that later) and Lord & Taylor, and (I believe) is seven stories tall.

*900 North Michigan Shops: This mall is anchored by Bloomingdale's and (despite the fact that Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue are even more expensive stores than Bloomingdale's) is considered to be the most upscale of the four malls. Other than Bloomingdale's, two of its most famous stores are Gucci and MaxMara.

*Chicago Place: Despite being anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue, this mall is actually considered to be the least upscale of the four malls.

*Westfield North Bridge: Anchored by Nordstrom, this is the newest of the Magnificent Malls.

Now, on to State Street (which can be considered Chicago's version of Main Street), which is located in Chicago's Loop (which is the name given to downtown Chicago). State Street is much older than the Magnificent Mile, and used to be the most popular shopping destination in town until the Mile captured much of its business. These days, most of the shopping on State Street is ho-hum, with the sole exception of two legendary department stores: Carson Pirie Scott and Marshall Field's.

(In its heyday, however, State Street was home to a total of--I believe--seven huge department stores, the vast majority of which closed. One of these department stores was the flagship store of Sears, which closed in 1983. Being a big fan of Sears myself, I was really excited when Sears decided to return to State Street in 2001 to open a new flagship store on State Street, which is located in a different building than the buliding that was closed in 1983. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed in this location; to try to even pass this off as a "flagship" store is a joke: The store is the same size--or possibly even a bit smaller--than the typical Sears store found in a mall, being only four (very narrow) floors high, and does not even have lawn and garden and automotive departments. I have read that this store is actually a huge money loser for Sears, in part because Sears is more suited to the suburbs than the big cities, so I would not be surprised if this store shuts its doors in the near future.)

The Carson Pirie Scott flaship, like Marshall Field's, has been in its current location for about 100 years. Throughout its history, Carson Pirie Scott--a department store that caters to the working and middle classes--has played second fiddle to the upscale Marshall Field's. That being said, however, it is still a very beloved store among Chicagoans. The buliding itself is an architectural marvel, having been designed by Louis Sullivan. It is seven (or possibly eight) floors, and takes up most of a city block. And, even though (as I mentioned earlier) that the store caters to the working and middle classes (just like JCPenney does), the quality of its merchandise and store layout is much higher than that of JCPenney. Unfortunately, I don't have any more to say about Carson Pire Scott, since I hardly spent any time in that store (or in Sears as well). Instead, I spent over 95% of my vacation at Marshall Field's.

There is so much to be said about the legendary Marshall Field's flagship on State Street. (Before I continue, let me clear up one point of confusion: I mentioned earlier that the Water Tower Place shopping mall in the Magnicient Mile is co-anchored by Marshall Field's. Please note, however, that that is a different location than the flagship store on State Street.) For starters, it is the second largest department store in the world (after Macy's New York City flagship) and takes up an entire city block. (Yet, despite only being the second largest department store, Marshall Field's is so much cleaner and more beautiful than Macy's flagship, which I found to be quite messy.) Field's has always been considered the crown jewel, not only of State Street, but of Chicago's entire shopping scene. The store is upscale (yet not a rip-off store by any means) in terms of its merchandise, and has among the best customer service in the industry. Its flagship building consists of so many architectural feats, including two huge green clocks (called the "Great Clocks") on the outside of the building, plus the Tiffany Ceiling, which is actually the largest pice of unbroken Tiffany glass in the world. Come Christmastime, all of Chicago comes to see its famous window displays as well as a huge Christmas tree (called the "Great Tree") that is located in the store's legendary restaurant, the Walnut Room. Additionally, Chicagoans love Frango Mint Chocolates, which is a brand exclusive to Marshall Field's.

Before I continue discussiong more about the State Street flagship, I must report some very sad news: in September, the entire Marshall Field's chain will be renamed Macy's. (Marshall Field's, along with many other regional department store chains, was owned by the May Department Store company. Last year, Macy's parent company--Federated Department Stores--acquired May, and decided to convert all of May's regional department store names to the Macy's nameplate.) Actually, as explained in the parentheses, Marshall Field's is just one of many department stores to be renamed Macy's this year. However, this move has been harshly criticized for many reasons: First, unlike all the other department stores to be renamed Macy's, Marshall Field's is light years ahead of Macy's in terms of its merchandise and service. Second, Marshall Field's (unlike almost any other major department store chain today) is extraordinarily active in community affairs; indeed, Chicagoans have a strong emotional attachment with Marshall Field's. (Communities having strong emotional attachments with department stores is almost unheard of today.) Third, as evidenced by the fact that over a dozen department stores have already been renamed Macy's (prior to Marshall Field's), a name change to Macy's involves so much more than seeing a different sign on the building and different shopping bags: it means that all of the former department store's private brands get dropped, and--much more tragically--a huge decline in customer service and store cleanliness. (This is because the fact of the matter is that Macy's is infamous for its horrible customer service and messy stores.) Because of the reasons mentioned, Chicago is in a total uproar over the name change. This makes for a unique situation, because in the past, all of the people whose local department store was renamed Macy's never really cared about the name change.

Anyway, I was determined to see the Marshall Field's flagship while it still existed, which is the major reason why I went to Chicago at all. So that everybody reading this can remember Marshall Field's greatness long after it is gone, I am going to post two things about the State Street Store. The first thing I will post is a list of which departments are on each of the ten floors (nine floors plus a basement):

Lower Level:

Bally's Fitness Juice Bar and Vitamin Shop

Barbara's Bookstore

Bose/Phillips Electronics Boutique

Candy

Cookware

The Down Town Dog (a boutique selling pet-related merchandise)

Everyday Tabletop

Garden/Outdoor Living

Gourmet Foods

Home Decor

In Field's (a restaurant and sports bar)

Luggage

Marketplace Cafe (an informal food court)

Optical

Papyrus Stationery Boutique

Small Electrics

Starbuck's Coffee

Watch & Jewelry Repair

Wine Shop

Wrigleyville Sports Boutique

First Floor:

The Arcade (an area that features temporary shopping departments)

Coca-Cola Cafe (which basically features soda and snacks)

Cosmetics

Handbags

Jewelry

Men's Accessories

Men's Fragrances

Merz Apothecary Boutique

Starbuck's Coffee

Thomas Pink Boutique

Women's Accessories

Women's Fragrances

Second Floor:

Juniors

Men's Active

Men's Coats & Swim

Men's Designer Clothing

Men's Dress Shirts & Ties

Men's Personal Shopping

Men's Shoes

Men's Sportswear

Men's Tailored Clothing

Men's Underwear & Hoisery

Young Men's

Third Floor:

Designer Petites

Fur Salon

28 Shop (which features trendy Women's clothing)

Women's Career

Women's Contemporary

Women's Designer Clothing

Women's Personal Shopping

Fourth Floor:

Bridal Salon

Dresses

Juice Bar

Maternity (by Mimi Maternity)

Women's Active

Women's Casual

Women's Coats & Swim

Women's Shoes

Fifth Floor:

Beauty Salon

Boy's Clothing

Girl's Clothing

Infant's and Toddler's Clothing

Kid's Shoes

Lingerie

Petites

Toys

Women's Hoisery

Women's World (clothing for large women)

Sixth Floor:

Bath

Bedding

Bridal/Gift Registry

China

Crystal

Gift Wrap

Lamps

Silver

Table Linens

Seventh Floor:

The Archive (exhibits that explain Marshall Field's history)

Culinary Studio (which is home to roughly a dozen top chefs employed by Marshall Field's)

Frango Cafe

Frango Shop

Gourmet Foods

Narcissus Room (a room that can be used for group gatherings)

7 on State (a semi-formal food court)

Visitor Center

Wine Shop

Walnut Room (a formal restaurant)

Eighth Floor:

Art Gallery

Contemporary Furniture

Interior Design Studio

Leather Furniture Gallery

Loft Furniture

"Simply Living" Furniture

Traditional Furniture

Ninth Floor:

Executive Offices

Events Center

Home Entertainment Furniture

Home Office Furniture

Human Resources

Mattresses

Oriental Rugs

Portrait Studio

Recliners & Sofa Sleepers

Rugs & Carpets

The second thing I will post is a listing of what is featured on the free audio tour of the State Street building. Marshall Field's is the only department store I know of that gives tours of its flagship store.

The Audio Tour begins on the Seventh Floor:

1. Visitor Center

2. The Archive

3. A Norman Rockwell painting of one of the Great Clocks on the outside of the building (which has since been taken down by the jerks at Macy's)

4. Narcissus Room (one additional note not discussed earlier is that the Narcussus Room features a beautiful marble fountain)

5. North State Light Well (a huge skylight that is found at the top of the store's North Atrium)

6. The Walnut Room (so named because its walls have a walnut brown color; also, its not just any formal restaurant, but one of Chicago's oldest and most beloved restaurants, built in 1907)

Now, the tour goes to the Eighth Floor:

7. The Walnut Room Atrium, where you can see the Great Tree (a huge tree hung every year at Christmastime)

8. The Grand Staircase (a new staircase that connects the eighth and ninth floors)

9. Trend House (located within the furniture department; it features every room in the house, furnished with the latest trendy furniture, all of which can be purchased at Marshall Field's)

Down to the Sixth Floor:

10. Bridal/Gift Registery (Note that Marshall Field's was the first department store to have a bridal registery.)

All the way down to the Lower Level:

11. Marketplace Cafe

12. Barbara's Books (where the first ever celebrity book signing occurred)

13. Frango Candy Department

Up to the First Floor:

14. The Central Atrium/Burnham Fountain (The Central Atrium was built in 1992, and actually made Marshall Field's State Street store into just one buliding; prior to this time, the store consisted of two separate buildings. The Burnham Fountain was designed by legendary architectect Daniel Brunham in the early 20th century.)

Outside:

15. The store entrance at 28 East Washington Street (which is one of the oldest parts of the building)

16. The Great Clock (a huge green clock that weighs seven tons that is found at the corner of State Street & Washington Street; another Great Clock can be found at the corner of State Street & Randolph Drive)

17. The store entrance at State Street (which is fronted by unbroken 50-foot granite columns)

Back inside, to the First Floor:

18. The Tiffany Celining (a view from the bottom of the ceiling; the ceiling actually is above the fifth floor)

19. Cosmetics Department

20. Juliet Balcony (a staircase connecting the first, second, and third floors that was designed by Daniel Burnham in 1907)

Up to the Second Floor:

21. Another view of the North State light well

22. Escalators/Field's Crest (Note that these are the oldest escalators in the builiding. Actually, these were the first escalators to ever be in a department store. On the sides of the escalators, you can see plaques of the crest of Marshall Field's family.)

Up to the Thrid Floor:

23. 28 Shop

Up to the Fourth Floor:

24. Bridal Salon

Up to the Fifth Floor:

25. A view from the top of the Tiffany Ceiling

[DaysFanJean]

Shopping in Chicago has been a dream of mine (and shows). I'm keeping this for reference.

Will you give me permission to share this with some friends of mine?

[WTGH]

I hate Macy's.

First they take over Burdine's and now Marshall Fields? Ugh.

[Max]

DaysFanJean, feel free to share this thread with anybody you like.

WorldTurnsatGH, I too hate Macy's for taking over so many beloved department store chains. Believe it or not, Macy's has taken over at least two dozen department store chains, including Burdine's and Marshall Field's. In the near future, I will have a thread devoted to just this topic.

[DaysFanJean]

Thanks