7.0 Earthquake in Mall Culture - or - The Ascendant Domination of MACYs

It seems that with the announcement that Federated will be closing down hordes of regional department stores, and converting the rest to MACY's (with a handful of Bloomingdales amongst..

I originally heard the news via Philadelphia-oriented media.. My immediate reaction: "I hope they keep Lord & Taylor.. But would I be upset if they converted it to a Bloomingdales? (don't think so..) And STRAWBRIDGES -- who really cares?"

I noticed in the hubub that the Filene's brand would close as well, which saddened me as more than 1/3 of my wardrobe over the last 5 years has been purchased at the Filene's Basement on 6th (Ave of Americas) and 18th.. Of course, when the LA Times ran ITs story today, I realized what this truly meant.. 1) This means that one of the seminal department store brands of my childhood, ROBINSONS, would also be eliminated.. 2) I'm a self-absorbed A-hole.. I didn't give a sh7*# about Strawbridges.. but hearing about Robinsons all of a sudden brings me pause..

What else does this tell me about myself? I may not become a true Philadelphian until living here for 15 or 20 years (I don't expect to be here that long.. but I am reaching the point where I don't not expect it either..) There's lots of things about where you're from and where you're at that you care about -- and maybe this is the core of being a native.. Natives care about the most trivial aspects of a place's milieu, but these aspects have been part of that milieu for a while and are as a consequence formative of it.. It's like "the Vet" being blown up -- another example of a Philadelphia institution that I have no attachment to.. But if they blew up the Colliseum I would have an emotional reaction.. If the Phillies moved cities would I care? Not really.. but the Dodgers!?!? And I don't even WATCH baseball.. I feel that I care about Philadelphia and where it's going -- I'm a Philadelphia homeowner.. but I guess I was just a bit surprised to notice in such an illustrated way that my heart is still in the Southland..

But this is not what this post was supposed to be about..

It was supposed to be about the shift in malls due to all of this vacated space -- who is going to move in? Sears is still the biggest department store (even with this buyout, Federated is only number 2).. I haven't yet read the NYTimes piece.. but the LA Times story suggested this might be a golden opportunity for Nordstrom's who is very popular in California and could expand their footprint, though this would be the last thing Federated would want as they are direct competitors.. Kohls has been wanting to expand in California, and this is their chance.. Or what about Wal-Mart? Wal-Mart moving in would seriously change what "going to the mall" is all about.. Even Kohls and Sears, though lower-cost retailers, are department stores.. "Category Killers" like Bed Bath & Beyond would also change the feel of malls, but they are already anchors in outlet malls, so I don't see this as as drastic a change as Wal-Mart.. In addition, a line in the LAT article suggested that with the money they get from selling the stores, Federated will update its own stores, potentially revolutionizing Macys as a shopping experience across the country.. I guess it is an exciting and scary time in this business depending on if you look at the potential uncertainty or the potential for change and innovation..

Below are some articles:

LA Times: 21 Department Stores to Close in Southland

Philadelphia Inquirer: Strawbridge's stores to be sold, converted

New York Times: What's in a Store's Name? Federated Will Find Out

Boston Globe: It's official: Filene's brand will be gone

Any thoughts?