Bittersweet trip down shoppers’ memory lane

Re “Selling out the middle class,” Opinion, March 22

Federated Department Stores began with the best (Bullock’s Wilshire, I. Magnin) and worked its way down through Bullock’s, J.W. Robinson, Broadway and Goldwater’s (in Arizona) to the bottom (May Company). The conglomerate gobbled them up, and an era disappeared. No more Saturday fashion shows in Bullock’s Wilshire tearoom; it’s now a law library. No more upscale labels from which to choose. It’s disheartening to realize Macy’s is our only choice.

What I really can’t abide, however, is thinking of going to Chicago and not being able to shop at Marshall Field’s. Federated had said they would not close the historic department store, nor change its name. They lied. Marshall Field’s is no more.

Macy’s -- phooey! I’ll shop at Nordstrom and boutiques from now on.

PEGGY TAORMINA

Westminster

*

I was sad to read in Erin Aubry Kaplan’s column that the Robinson-May department stores are being closed. I lived in Los Angeles for 30 years before moving to the Bay Area in 1988. My favorite department stores were May Company and Broadway. Now all the great old department stores are gone: May Company, Broadway, Bullocks, Robinsons et al.

Many thanks to Kaplan for that lovely trip down memory lane.

MARCIA SIMONSON

Fremont, Calif.