Department Stores

I do like the department stores in London a lot. Selfridges, Libertys, John Lewis, Harvey Nichols, Harrods. They are one stop shopping at its best- wasn't that the point of a department store in the first place? You can get anything from an egg to a sofa. I don't know when or why the US and UK department stores became such distant cousins. Went to Selfridges today . Lock me in and throw away the key. I'd have everything I'd ever need forever.

In the US now that most of our local homegrown departments stores have died out- the Daytons, Marshall Fields, Wanamakers, ect. The ones that are left have taken a 'vanilla' Target or Walmart like feeling. Stores like Macys, Bloomingdales, Neimans, Saks, Lord and Taylor, JcPenny, Nordstroms, Sears, that are left all kind of blur into each other. Regardless of their price points department stores in the states just don't feel special anymore. Even the one-offs the Barneys, Fred Segal, Henri Bendel's have lost their luster. 

Here in London each store seems to have its own speciality. Selfridges & Co. for cool items/brands and a fab food hall. Libertys for its printed fabrics and  haberdashery and up and coming fashion labels. John Lewis for reliability, Harvey Nichols for expensive things, Harrods for brand name bags and touristy items (kind of like Macys or Bloomingdales I guess).  I would love it if a department store in the states had Music, Books, Key cutting, Wines/Spirits/Cigars, Confectionery, Foodhall/Grocery store, Stationary, Alterations, Hats (this is really British), Salon, Optician and Pharmacy departments in addition to the regular Mens and Woman's Fashion, Jewelry, Beauty, Home, ect. as Selfridges does. For some reason having it all under one roof really elevates the store into a brand- that people trust and keep going back to- not to mention the convenience... 

(more about dept. stores at this website http://history.sandiego.edu/GEN/soc/shoppingcenter4.html )