Department Stores That Have Closed Through the Decades: Barneys New York, Lord & Taylor, Loehmann’s and More

The department store created a retail landscape rich in diversity. As consumer goods became more readily available in the 1800s, fashionable cities like New York, London and Paris established their main streets, creating walking destinations filled with shopping options. Into the 20th century, with lunch counters in stores like Lord & Taylor to fashion shows and trunk shows at Henri Bendel, the shopping experience would become a favorite pastime for those living in fashionable American and European cities. By the 1970s and the later half of the century, expansion prevailed. And when families began migrating to the suburbs, and teens needed a place to wander, mall shopping met the demand expanding the retail sector exponentially. Nevertheless, over-expansion, changes in consumer demands and major shifts in economics, politics, production and technology continued to pose challenges to the retail sector with many familiar shopping destinations, historic department stores and main streets forever changed.