Bullock's Wilshire, Los Angeles

Bullock's Wilshire, Los Angeles

VINTAGE RETAIL

Mall Memories

Two of my favorite things—museums and shopping malls—have converged in one blog: The Department Store Museum.

The site is a treasure trove of retail memorabilia—from vintage photos and sketches of long-lost stores to charge cards, shopping bags and store directories. From retail architecture to classic logo design, the site is endlessly inspirational.

In California alone, the site has details about Bullock’s—including the famed Bullock’s Wilshire—I. Magnin, Robinson’s, May Co., Buffums, The Emporium, Weinstock’s, Capwell’s, Rhodes, Walker-Scott, Marston’s, and Liberty House.

No sign of The Broadway location at the Beverly Center, where I worked when I first moved to California. But I did find a photo of my hometown department store—Hahne’s in Montclair, N.J.—and my home away from home, the Bamberger’s store at the Willowbrook Mall. And there are tons of archival shots of the holy grail of shopping for suburban Jersey girls: Macy’s Herald Square.

It’s easy to get lost in the mall museum.