Walk into the massive building on State Street in Chicago today and the signs say Macy’s. But if you look down at the sidewalk, you might see a brass plaque or two. Look up, and those giant, iconic green clocks still hang over the corners. For locals, and really for anyone who cares about how we shop, it will always be Marshall Field and Company.
It’s kind of wild to think about. A store so beloved that people literally took to the streets to protest a name change in 2006. Why? Because Marshall Field didn't just sell hats and linens. He basically invented the modern world of "going shopping" as a hobby. Before him, stores were dusty, dark, and honestly a bit suspicious. You walked in, you haggled, and you probably got ripped off. Field changed the vibe. He decided that the customer should actually, you know, enjoy themselves.
The Man Who Said the Customer Is Always Right
Marshall Field wasn't some soft-hearted guy. Honestly, he was a bit of a shark. He moved to Chicago in 1856 with barely anything and worked his way up from a clerk at a dry goods firm. He was obsessed with efficiency. But he had this one insight that changed everything: "Give the lady what she wants." That sounds like a catchy marketing slogan, and it was. But it was also a radical business model. Before Marshall Field and Company, the rule was caveat emptor—let the buyer beware. If you bought a coat and it fell apart the next day, that was your problem. Field flipped the script. He introduced unconditional refunds. He put clear price tags on items so you didn't have to argue with a clerk. He made the store a "palace" where you could spend the whole day.
He didn't just sell stuff; he built a destination
Think about the things we take for granted now.
- The Bargain Basement: Field started this to move old stock without devaluing the luxury goods upstairs.
- The Bridal Registry: Yep, he pioneered that too.
- Personal Shoppers: He wanted people to feel like royalty, even if they were just buying a pair of gloves.
The Architecture of a Retail Empire
The building itself is a beast. It covers an entire city block. If you’ve ever stood under the Tiffany glass dome in the cosmetics department, you know what I’m talking about. It’s made of 1.6 million pieces of iridescent glass. It’s the largest Tiffany mosaic in the world.
The building was designed by Daniel Burnham, the guy who basically designed modern Chicago. He didn't just build a store; he built a temple to consumerism. It had 76 elevators. It had its own telephone exchange. It even had a nursery where you could leave your kids while you went to look at French silks.
That Famous Chicken Pot Pie
You can't talk about Marshall Field and Company without talking about the Walnut Room. It opened in 1907. Back then, it was scandalous for a woman to eat lunch alone in a restaurant. It just wasn't "done."
One day, a clerk named Mrs. Hering shared her homemade chicken pot pie with a tired shopper. The shopper loved it. Word spread. Eventually, the store realized they could keep people shopping longer if they fed them. Thus, the department store tea room was born. To this day, people still line up at the Walnut Room for that same pot pie recipe. During the holidays, they put up a "Great Tree" that’s several stories tall. It's a whole thing.
The End of an Era (and the Macy’s Takeover)
So, what happened? Basically, the retail world changed. Big department stores started struggling against malls and then the internet. After the Field family sold the business in the 80s, it bounced around between owners—BATUS, Dayton Hudson (which is now Target), and May Department Stores.
Then came 2005. Federated Department Stores (which owned Macy’s) bought out May. They decided to consolidate everything under the Macy’s brand. Chicago went into a tailspin. People wore "Forever Marshall Field's" buttons. They boycotted. They picketed.
Macy’s tried to play nice. They kept the Frango Mints (those iconic chocolates). They kept the tree. But for many, the soul of the place was gone. The name Marshall Field and Company represented a level of service and a connection to Chicago history that a national chain just couldn't replicate.
Is the dream dead?
Not exactly. While the name on the door is different, the building is still a National Historic Landmark. People still meet "under the clock" at State and Washington. The legacy of "The Customer Is Always Right" is now the baseline for every store from Amazon to Nordstrom, even if they don't always live up to it.
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How to Experience the Legacy Today
If you find yourself in the Loop in Chicago, you can still find traces of the old magic. It's worth a visit, even if you aren't planning to buy anything.
- Check the Clocks: Look at the Great Clocks on the corners of the building. They’ve been there since 1897 and 1907. They are the ultimate Chicago meeting spot.
- Find the Tiffany Dome: Head to the 5th floor (south side). It is genuinely breathtaking and completely free to look at.
- Eat the Pot Pie: Go to the 7th floor. Get a table in the Walnut Room. Order the Mrs. Hering’s Chicken Pot Pie. It’s basically eating history.
- The Frango Mint Test: Buy a box of Frango Mints. They used to be made on the 13th floor of the store. Now they're made elsewhere, but they still taste like Chicago.
Marshall Field and Company wasn't just a business; it was a standard. It proved that if you treat people with respect and give them a beautiful space to be in, they’ll keep coming back for over a century. That’s a lesson a lot of modern businesses are still trying to figure out.
Next Steps for History Buffs:
Check out the Chicago History Museum’s digital archives for original photographs of the 19th-century window displays, or visit the Field Museum (which Marshall Field himself funded) to see how his retail fortune built one of the greatest scientific institutions in the world.