Our Retail History

I was a dinner party tonight when I noticed that the silverware was made in Sheffield, England, for John Wanamaker. Sheffield is no longer a manufacturing center and John Wanamaker's ceased to exist twenty years ago. The store is now another downtown Macy's, with far too much office space and far too little retail space.

Nearly all of our most important retail history over the past century--the most iconic brand names--John Wanamaker, Gimbel Brothers, Marshall Field, Filene's, Hecht Brothers, and so forth--have been lost. So many department stores lost...