There
isn't a single reason for saving the Marshall Field's name
from becoming Macy's - there are thousands.
Since
this site was launched in July of 2005, we've received thousands
of e-mails from Field's famously devoted following giving
palpable proof that the Field's brand is simply too valuable
to be retired. It is an icon of the past, yet in the minds
of the (many) people who love it, an equally significant presence
in the present (and hopefully the future). We've heard from
people hailing from all walks of life - young, old, urban,
suburban, rural, conservative, liberal and everywhere in between.
We've been contacted by Chicagoans, Midwesterners, people
from nearly every state in the nation, and many foreign countries.
We've been interviewed and/or featured by noteworthy media
including The New York Times, NPR, Bloomberg, the Chicago
Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and the
BBC, not to mention the dozens of newspapers and television
stations in communities that Field's serves. We've heard from
people whose families have shopped there for generations,
as well as people who just recently discovered the magic of
Field's. We are simply overwhelmed by the passion with which
Field's fans have embraced this cause, and the willingness
of its fans to share their lives with us in the hope that
Federated actually begins listening to its customers.
Through
its 153 year history, Marshall Field's has changed the way
we build, the way we socialize, and, of course, the way we
shop. Its flagship store--the first and most famous of its
kind--is a world-famous attraction and paved the way for department
stores worldwide: Wanamaker's in Philadelphia, Filene's of
Boston, Macy's of New York, and Selfridge's in London, to
name just a few. Marshall Field's track record of innovation
over its century-and-a-half of existence is impossible to
ignore. Beginning with its rise from a local merchant to a
major power following the Great Chicago Fire the 1870s, from
opening the first full-line branch department store ever in
1929, and continuing through the groundbreaking 2003 renovation
(culminating in another first: a Vertical fashion show) of
its legendary flagship store on State Street.
Field's
may be famous for the grand spectacles it initiates, but we
believe the brand's true value is found in its deeply rooted
connections to its customers and to the communities it serves.
No department store is as revered as Marshall Field's when
it comes to community giving. So famous, in fact, that two
of the top three Google hits for Marshall Field's link to
Marshall Field's Gives (the other leads to a page on the famous
State Street flagship). The positive effect of Marshall Field's
Gives to its local communities is truly tangible: from Marshall
Field's Free Fridays at the Henry Ford Museum, to Field's
Day of Music, to sponsoring headlining exhibits such as the
recent Jacqueline Kennedy exhibition at the Field Museum in
Chicago. The world-renowned Museum Campus on the Chicago lakefront
would not exist in its current form without Marshall Field
and his company's generosity.
We
could talk about Frangos, or the Walnut Room, or Field's famous
holiday displays - but this project proves that the brand's
loyal following is its true treasure.
What
does Marshall Field's mean to YOU?
|
