The Department Store Museum: The Museum Bookshop

This is my week for finding great things online.  I was conducting a bit of family research -- and I recalled that a lost family member had a thriving store in upstate New York whose name was unknown to me.  One google led to another, until I came upon this little blog.  Sure enough, I found myself captivated by all the lost stores that I loved as a child -- and others that I'd never known, but surely captivated other girls and their mothers.   Buying that navy coat used to a yearly ritual when I was a girl, long before the puffer jacket days.  I still remember getting my hair curled at New York's Peck and Peck, eating tea sandwiches at Lord and Taylor, and window-shopping at Christmas-time.    

It's a virtual history of the country's wonderful departments stores, many of which were founded by Polish, German and Jewish immigrants. Even better, the site has a terrific bookstore where you can find gems like a history of Wanamakers in Philadelphia, which is soon to be on my gift list.  The Department Store Museum: The Museum Bookshop:

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