Well, this is really my first time back actively shopping for my once regular essentials. This morning, I had a dentist appointment for cleaning across the street at premier care dental and once I left, I opted to venture across the street to visit some of my favorite haunts. I began with ORVIS, and I did find a few treasures... I found a couple of driving caps or Gatsby caps (Barbour wool and a waxed cloth) as I ventured deeper into ORVIS. I discovered a beanie of sorts... multi colored striped beanie... think of it as a nod to Missoni or Coogie ? It was literally amazing!
Next, I migrate towards Macy's so down Lake I go... it's been literally months since I've been inside and in all sincerity... I didn't recognize my Macy. This was by no means the once iconic Bullocks that my grandmother would bring my mother and my siblings and myself for those things that used to fill you with wonder when you were little. I still have found memories of my grandmother bringing me for shoes or new pj's, and I still recall grabbing a bite upstairs in the dining room. South Lake was something! Actually, Pasadena was something truly special. My grandmother would have a routine... I. magnum which was just right across the Cellor parking is a destination that my grandmother would make for statement shoes and bags and gorgeous suits and dresses and then we'd head up Hudson and pull into the parking where Chase bank stands today and grab a delicious meal at Beatles and then I remember crossing the street to J.W. Robinson, where Target stands today. But I digress ... lol, just a bit. I enter Macy's, and I'm taking a back... am I in my Macy's, or did I wander into Marshall or T.J. Max? I see racks of items that we all have made comments about in relation to mall Macy's. Where are my sales people that I had known forever, and who knew my mother and grandmother? I navigate deeper into men expecting to find suits or dress shirts and dress socks or ties? THIS IS NOT THE STANDARD OF DRESS THAT I HAVE BEEN RAISED TO PROJECT OR EVOKE. I'm literally in disbelief. I enter the area adjacent to the Polo shop, but I see nothing familiar in this area either. Where the heck is the dignity or character? Am I now inside a Burlington? Or a C grade mall department store? I head up to the 3rd floor to see if I can find something for the niece's and nephew's. But.... what the heck happened? I remember going to a swap meet when I was little with my cousin, and this evoked that very same esthetic! I was suddenly struck with sadness. My mom used to love this store, and my grandmother wouldn't shop anywhere else. So sad.
To add insult to injury, after my mother's massive stroke and subsequent recovery I made it a routine to bring her to Macy's almost every other week to remind her of her of the very things she would enjoy. Finding items for herself and her grandkids! Plus, to re-engage with sales staff that she knew and was always helpful in finding or acquiring beautiful things. My mom was filled with confidence in the simple things like visiting Anie in women or her salesperson in lingerie her at Macy's ..... and her regular sales person at Nordstrom to encourage her in therapy of sorts utilizing her hemi walker for longer durations. My mother and certainly my grandmother would flee this bargain basement of sorts immediately if they were still here today. The department in which I would wander through in search of a new suit or silk blouse for my grandmother is now the refuse that one would find at the end of a sales rack that most wouldn't have any desire to bring back home. I still have memories of walking into these departments and hearing my name or my grandmother's name along with a greeting. Gone are the days in which Lake Street was celebrated and portrayed in those television shows and featured films that presented the lifestyle that most knew. So sad...
Grrr cancer! read more