Only Four Days In and This Happens?

I was digging into my lunch today when I almost spit out my shredded BBQ chicken upon reading that our local Bloomingdale's is set to close in a couple of months.  You can read the article here.

Now, Minnesota arguably has more shopping options than, say, Arkansas or Idaho.  But it's no NYC, Chicago or LA either, in terms of offerings.  While I'm not a big fan of this particular Bloomie's, I did enjoy regular strolls through the one back home on Michigan Avenue.  And I'm just kinda sad to see it go.  (Macy's is a whole 'nother story.  *Please* someone, make them go away!  And not just 'cause they killed off my childhood store, Marshall Field's, grrrr).

Announcing the plucking out of one of the few upscale department stores in the Twin Cities is a mean thing to do to us in the midst of winter.  I'm supremely thankful that Nordstrom is within reach, and though I find it small, I'll hold on to our mini Neiman Marcus, which is located downtown.

Of course, the attention turns to "what next?"  Personally, I'd like to see them put in a Uniqlo - but I suppose that doesn't really work, square footage-wise.  We already have a Sears.  And a stupid Macy's.  It would be fair to entertain a mid-scale store, such as JC Penney, Herberger's or Von Maur.  Call it unorthodox, but I'd be all for a space packed with small, specialty vendor stalls, sort of like the large stores I visited in Seoul, South Korea (where I played Dance, Dance Revolution outside on the sidewalk leading into the building).  Heck, put in a Debenham's (UK), Kaufhof (German, where I once spied the scariest fish ever in the basement food section) or El Corte Inglés (Spain).  Mix it up a little, right?

The semi-sad news makes me all the more happy that e-tail exists, and that I can turn to the likes of Shopbop, Gilt, Revolve and so on for stocking my fave brands.  Sigh, it also makes me miss Field's all the more.

What is your favorite department store for shopping?  Or, should I say, what was your fave?  Has it, like my beloved Field's, also gone the way of the dodo bird?  Or is it alive and well?  If you're local to the Twin Cities, what store would you like to see moving into the soon-to-be-history Bloomie's shell?

I'll leave you with those questions, along with the opening image of the Marshall Field's clock at the site of the old State Street store.  Damn, I miss that place.


Image:  my own