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Core Memories Unlocked!

January 2025

Who Killed The Department Store?

In America, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who had never been to a department store. They ruled commerce for the better part of the twentieth century after gaining popularity post The Great Depression. Though they existed since far before then, consumer culture, mixed with the diversity of products offered in the mid-1900s really caused the department store model to take off. However, since the early 2000s, the department store seems to be dying. Classic department stores like Wannamaker’s, Foley’s and G. Fox, as well as fan favorite discount department stores like Caldor, Bradlees, and Ames, and countless others in each category, have closed their doors forever. Others, like Sears and Kmart, are barely hanging on. So, what happened and what does the future hold? Hint: It wasn’t Amazon’s fault - at least not this time!

Back in the day, going to a department store was an event. The whole family could go and find everything they needed and anything they could ever want - all within the massive walls of their favorite department store. If you were in a classic department store - like Korvettes or Kaufmann’s, it felt like a luxury event thanks to the unique displays, glitzy perfume counters, and concierge customer service. If discount department stores like Zayre or Jamesway were more your cup of tea, going was still an event unto itself. You could still find anything and everything you wanted, but the bargain hunting added an extra level of thrill to the entire experience. Department stores often served as a social hub for your area. Basically, these stores are what shifted shopping from a necessity to a leisure activity.

Spending at department stores hit an all time high in January of 2001 with over $19 billion dollars in sales (Experian). But since then, spending has been on steady decline. So what happened? Turns out, we consumers had a “it’s not you it’s me” conversation with them and broke up with department stores as America began to value individuality more and more (American Business History). No longer did the average person want to just one-stop shop. We wanted unique stores with values we could identify with. But, if that couldn't be found, then we were searching for a discount. In this sense, the rise of stores like Walmart really started the fall of the department store. It was American founded, offered low-priced bargains, and only became a super-power starting in the late 80s and early 90s, when we began to see many of our beloved department stores merging or closing forever (Wikipedia). Ironically, though Walmart started as a mom-and-pop type shop, they also eventually led to the closing of your typical American Mainstreet by undercutting prices so much no one could keep up.

Since then, the rise of e-commerce has turned our attention fully away from the stores where we would once spend entire weekends lost in the different departments. Their inability to keep up with the times is now one of the biggest reasons we prefer to shop elsewhere.

So, what’s the future of the department store? As we move more and more towards clusters of individual shops and options instead of one massive one, the future doesn’t seem to be bright. The value we place on small businesses and local shopping is only increasing, even if Dollar Generals and Targets do seem to be popping up on every corner. Unless there’s a serious shift in consumer behaviour, or department stores start emphasizing local finds more, today’s remaining department stores might soon only exist in our memories. 
That’s part of why we feel what we do here at Local Vyntage is important - and so fun! Our memories are often the only thing that keeps the past from slipping away. But by telling their stories, holding them close, and passing them on, the legacy of what once was can live on. While this act doesn’t require tees and hoodies to unlock those core memories, it certainly helps! If you’ve ever worn some LV apparel out, you’ve probably gotten tons of questions and comments on it. Caldor or Foley’s might not come up in an everyday conversation with a stranger, but with an LV tee, they do! What we do honors the past - not just with department stores, but with all types of bygone icons. But at the same time, it gives our customers a small, US-based business they can be proud to support!
So, who killed the department store? We definitely don’t want to point fingers *cough* Walmart, Target, and sure maybe Amazon too *cough*. Their decline happened for many reasons, including a change in what we look for as consumers. Ultimately, though, the “who” and the “why” don’t matter so much as the fact that it’s happened. We may miss the simple days of walking into one store and finding everything - especially when that store was as good as Bradlees or Hills was - but those days will live on in our hearts and in our memories forever!

Interested in some Department Store or Discount Department Store LV Apparel? Check it out here:


Classic Department Stores

Discount Department Stores:


- Maddy 

 

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