Sep 8, 2006 6:54 pm US/Central
Last Day Comes For Marshall Field's
Chicago Institution To Be Supplanted By Macy's Tomorrow
CBS 2's Chelsea Irving contributed to this report.
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
The
Marshall Field's clock is not going anywhere, but the clock is counting down on the Marshall Field's name.
As CBS 2's Chelsea Irving reports, as the sun rose over brand new
Macy's signs in the suburbs, the sign is setting on a Chicago institution. All 61 stores will officially change their names on Saturday.
"It's kind of sad, isn't it," one woman said. "Marshall Field's is a landmark."
Friday is the last day customers can say they are shopping at Marshall Field's.
"I like Field's. I don't care for Macy's. Sorry," another woman said.
Not every image of Field's will be erased. Some things will stay the same, though. At the State Street store, the iconic clock and the Marshall Field's plaques will remain. Frango mints will still be made there too, and the Walnut Room will remain open.
Meanwhile, Macy's management is excited about all the changes, pointing out new products for consumers, and some stores will be showcasing fashions by local designers.
"We are going to have 47 Chicago-based designers join us as part of our assortment at Macy's on State Street, and so we really are excited about promoting that," said Macy's public relations representative Andrea Schwartz.
"We are excited about becoming a national brand," added Macy's regional vice president Ralph Hughes. "We think that is going to be very good for people in Chicago."
But it is a tough sell to some loyal Field's customers who are sad to see the end of an era. They are saying goodbye to a name that has been synonymous with shopping in Chicago for more than a century.
"My grandmother shopped here, my mother shopped here, I shopped here, and it saddens me that my girls won't shop here," said shopper Millie Palmer.
She and others came, shopped and said goodbye to an icon that has defined Chicago retail for generations.
Palmer and Paula Kruger sent the kids to school this morning in Arlington Heights, then hopped a train to shop one last time at Marshall Field's.
"it's an icon and now it's no more, it's very sad," said Kruger.
They were among the hundreds who turned out to get Field's memorabilia -- on the seventh floor, people scooped up signature clocks, key chains, vintage shopping bags -- all items the new Macy's will continue to carry.
"We worked really hard ro build a relationship with Chicagoans as Marshall Field's and I'm excited about the fact that we are joining a major department store who really knows about running department stores . I think it will be great for Chicago," said Hughes.
Many things will remain the same, but for those who truly remember the department store, that's just not enough.
"We grew up with Uncle Mistletoe and Holly which probably shows our age," said Field's fans Denis and Jan Superczynski. " I remember the trains going around in the toy department."
One group, called
FieldsFansChicago, is organizing a protest on Saturday morning when the name change officially takes place.
"We want to demonstrate, first of all, that Chicago has a lot of pride in our institutions here, and Marshall Field's is one of those institutions that makes Chicago very unique, and we're really not ready to accept a Chicago name being replaced by a New York institution," Jim McKay, the head of FieldsFansChicago, said on the CBS 2 Morning News on Thursday.
"It's like having the Sox and the Cubs replaced with the Chicago Yankees," McKay added. "You wouldn't want that."
The store will be open untl 9 p.m. Friday and if you really want a piece of history, they will give you a green bag, if you ask.
Some burning questions, some people may have:
--What will happen to the Marshall Field's bags? We understand they will have plenty left over today?
Macy's will not use them Saturday. What's left will go to charities in the city. Officials can't say how many are left.
--Will shopping carts be brought in as they are in New York?
They are already in the store, the name on them will change to Macy's. They are black they'll stay black and no more will be added.
--what will happen to the Field's Express Desk in the atrium area?
It will change to Macy's Express Desk.
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