According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a Department store can be described as:  “A retail establishment that sells a wide variety of goods. These usually include ready-to-wear apparel and accessories for adults and children, yard goods and household textiles, small household wares, furniture, electrical appliances and accessories, and, often, food. These goods are separated into divisions and departments supervised by managers and buyers. There are also departmental divisions of merchandising, advertising, service, accounting, and budgetary control.”


I mentioned in my last episode that growing up, my mom, my sister and and I often went to the local mall for something to do maybe on a rainy day or to enjoy the excitement that was window shopping.  If we needed a new pair of shoes- we went to the mall, or the shoe store located in the downtown area of my childhood hometown.  If we needed a nice dress for a holiday, we went to the mall.  And often times, if we went to the mall to look for something, we would often venture into a department store, typically one stop shopping for most needs of a family.  Department stores often anchored (and still do) shopping malls, and could also be found in strip malls.  


With that being said, there were a plethora of department stores to choose from in the 1980s and 1990s and today you will learn about some of the most memorable stores.  You’ll hear how they got started and what led to their demise (three words will often be mentioned:  Target, Walmart and Amazon).  You will also learn about some of the defunct “big box” stores, similar to department stores but typically not located in a mall and with more variety in merchandise.  


So grab your umbrella stroller to push around your screaming children, a comfortable pair of Reboks and your stirrup pants, here we go!


Hello and thank you so very much for tuning in to the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast, a show inspired by, and in memory of, my big sister Rebecca and her love for all things pop-culture, especially the people, places and things of the 80s, 90s and early 00s.  My name is Amy Lewis and I am your captain aboard this pop culture time machine.  You are tuning in to Episode #26 - Extinct Department Stores and Big Box Stores, with an emphasis on the 80s and 90s, as well as stores found in the MidWest.  Even if you are not from the Midwest, you may find this retail archaeology trip to be intriguing so thank you for joining me.  This is a continuation of our last show where we discussed defunct mall stores.  I came across so much information that it needed to be divided up into more than one episode.  And, like last week, we will do a run-through of some of the most well-known department and big box stores, many that I have a sentimental attachment to.  Are you ready?  Let’s grab our shopping bags and head out on a defunct retail adventure!


F.W. Woolworth Company


Montgomery Ward & Co.:


Service Merchandise:

The thought with this method is that it would decrease the theft of items from the store.  While this was certainly a good loss prevention technique, it did raise concerns about identity theft since customers had to fill out their name, phone number, etc. on the purchase form.  Other businesses tried this method of purchasing for customers but no one was as successful as Service Merchandise.  


Radio Shack:


Circuit City


Linens ‘N’Things:


Sports Authority:


Toys R Us:


Carson Pirie Scott or Carson’s as locals called it:


Speaking of the Boston Store:


Lord and Taylor:


Venture Stores


Marshall Fields or Field’s as it referred to by locals:

 it featured a tiffany ceiling, bronze plated placards, clocks and was once one the largest retail spaces in the world with almost 75 acres worth of floor space spread out over an incredible 14 floors.  Some of the items you could purchase at Marshall Fields at one time included:  appliances, dining room furniture, furs, wigs and toys. You could also get your hair cut here. Some areas of the store also had designations, for example at one point the teen section was called “Teen Scene.”  This reminded me of Teen Central which is what the young adult section of our local library was called.  My sister and I wouldn’t be caught dead in a place called Teen Central.  We’d make fun of it….There was also a section called Young Chicago and had “After 5 dresses.”   Had 28 fitting rooms.  


I hope you have enjoyed this look back on the extinct department and big box stores which were an integral part of the retail history of the Midwest and in many instances, the United States and abroad as well.  I have always been fascinated by abandoned and defunct businesses for some reason, especially those that occupy my childhood memories. Before you could order items with the push of a finger on a phone or computer, we had to go out to a shopping mall or perhaps an expansive department store to get what we needed.  Although I can certainly appreciate the convenience of places like Amazon, especially during a pandemic, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nostalgic for a simpler, more social time where it required a little more leg work to get what you needed.  I think there are many people who would agree with me.  If you are enjoying the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast. Please subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Spotify or whichever podcast platform you use.  Please also rate the show as it helps direct more listens to this joyous show that travels down memory lane. You can contact me anytime, my email address is:  popcultureretrospective@gmail.com or you can follow me on Twitter, I’m @popcultureretro.  I hope you will join me for my next show where we will be discussing the story behind one of me and my sister’s all-time favorite rap groups, Salt & Peppa.  Until then, be kind, be safe and hold on to your memories.