Dismal holiday sales; historic stores lost

The retail numbers are in for the month of December. It was apparently a dismal holiday month for the majority of retailers.

This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to most people. Though I do have to say that it seemed like the stores and restaurants were awfully crowded in November and December. I guess the shoppers were there, but they just weren’t buying.

The other news to come out this week is that Macy’s is closing 11 stores. Two of those happen to be in the

I saw that the

Store closings are unfortunately becoming common place. It’s always bad news. It’s particularly sad when we lose a piece of history with a store closing.

Just yesterday in the office a couple of people were talking about all of the department stores that are gone. Most recently it was Kaufmann’s that was taken over by Macy’s, but in years past places like Gimbel Brothers, Higbee’s and Joseph Horne Co. have also disappeared.

I remember my grandmother taking me to Horne’s when I was a little girl. She bought me purple slippers.

Recently I had the great luck to come upon a winter coat for sale in a vintage shop in

Did you shop at a favorite store that is no longer in business? Where do you shop now?