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Friday, November 25, 2005 (Standard Disclaimer follows ) Just a couple of days after Federated Stores announced it was changing the name of all 62 Marshall Field’s to Macy’s, I found myself staying in NYC, by coincidence, just a block from Macy’s 34th Street flagship. Although I was in "Macy's Territory," a couple of my New Yorker friends brought up Marshall Field’s as they were disappointed to hear about it's pending change to Macy's. Two weeks later, in early October, I was back in NYC at a wedding reception in Chelsea. A couple from New York also brought up their regret at how it will not be the same when Marshall Field's becomes Macy’s. They wished they could visit before the change. It was if a beloved family member or friend we all knew was diagnosed as terminally ill. These experiences and others through the years drove home to me how Marshall Field’s is a world-class institution and how a change to a brand associated with New York City would obscure part of Chicago’s identity. A special supplement celebrating Field’s 150 Anniversary in the Chicago Tribune put it best: Field’s is ”as Chicago as it gets.” This website is for, by and about fans of Marshall Field’s, in their recognition of this distinctly Chicago institution and how it has contributed significantly to Chicago’s reputation as a world-class city in design, fashion, architecture, culture and philanthropy. Another website, KEEPITFIELDS.ORG has done great job of getting people to sign a petition asking Federated to reconsider their decision. Please sign it now if you have not already. If you check the list of those signing, you will even see the names of former Illinois Governor James Thompson, as well as Minnesota Senator Dayton, a descendent of the family who founded Dayton stores (which later chose to assume the Field's name), and many, many others—over 40,000 "Field's Fans" as of this writing. This site, while independent of keepitfields.org, is intended to complement it with my own regular bloggings on Field’s and what it means to Chicago, as well as offer the opportunity for guest writers to contribute their own perspectives on this icon of Chicago history and identity. Standard disclaimer email the webmaster chicagopride@fieldsfanschicago.org
Special thanks and admiration to Nick Potts, Mike, Gail, Pat and many others and everybody who contributes. |
