Service and Style: How the American Department Store Fashioned the Middle Class

"Service and Style" opened my eyes to department stores' long and colorful history before me. Turns out the 1940s and 50s department stores I remember were actually an institution on the decline. I had missed the great years following WWI up to the Depression. Nevertheless the book brought back memories of "going downtown" to shop, first with Mom then on my own with $40 to buy Christmas presents for the whole family and finally as a "shop girl" myself during high school and college. The author's tone is conversational. While the histories of some stores may be repetitive she keeps the narrative rolling along with great anecdotes and a good smattering of vintage photos. An entertaining and insightful read.

Jan Whitaker has written an engaging and entertaining book, a whirlwind tour of the American department store, from its glory days in the Victorian era through its demise in recent times. Whitaker reminds us that browsing, window shopping, and buying were once pleasureable experiences that anchored the dreams of consumers who were middle class, or who aspired to be middle class. John Wanamaker, Marshall Field, and other department store pioneers created their stores to be palaces of consumption, luxurious escapes from the humdrum of everyday life. With verve and humor, Whitaker captures that magic and momentarily transports us back to the golden era of retailing. Chain store executives, driven by the imperative to endlessly cut costs, would do well to read this book and think about what's missing from the contemporary retailing scene.

This book is about the history of the American Department Store, from the late 1800's to the early 1980s. The author of this book is emphatic about the fact that Department Stores are quite different from the "Catalog Stores" (eg: SEARS), or different from the huge "National Chain Stores" (eg: WAL-MART). So please note that this book is only about "Department Stores" (as stated in the book's title) and NOT about Chain Stores,nor the very huge National Catalog Chains. Anyhow, this book is very well-written. The photos are mostly in black-n-white, since at that time, most photos were not in color. The author does a wonderful job at categorizing each chapters into sub-categories, and the author goes into great detail in explaining the issues and experiences that affected the American Department stores (be it, their evolution, but also their demise).

Christina Larsen in her highly favorable review of this book in 'Washington Monthly' notes that one major reason people shop is for 'the experience'. Jan Whitaker chronicles how the Department Store became a central element in American life. She tells of how the great movement from farm to City in the late nineteenth - century , combined with new developments in communication and transportation helped make Department stores the center of American commercial life. Here is Larsen's description of of what Whitaker does in the book. " She details how department stores, which dominated American retail in the early 20th century, helped give "material expression to vague ideas of what success, femininity, citizenship, and popularity might mean," then put the identifying accessories (briefcase, lingerie, top hat, tennis racket) within reach of most customers. The secret to the stores' success was that they were always selling more than the thing itself." The Department Store drew the masses into the heart of town. It democratized fashion, and made goods available to the many which were once for the exclusive enjoyment of the wealthy. Though Department Stores sold many different kinds of product, once for instance were a central vendor of books, their major product and great attraction was clothing. This book will bring a lot of insight into an American institution , and I think for older folks like myself much nostalgic enjoyment. I grew up in the world of Department stores from the 'Up-to- Date' in downtown Troy New York Alexander's in Manhattan and Abraham and Strauss Brooklyn where my Aunt Molly Zeibert of blessed memory was for many years a 'buyer'(Dresses) .

This book is a rich texture of historical narrative, amusing anecdote, great visual material, and insight into the what drives American consumer culture. I sent it as a gift to my father in South Dakota, thinking he might like it since he knows the author. It was a bit risky, though, since he's not much of a book person: a 94-year-old retired dairy farmer who is not easily impressed (to put it mildly). In this case, the review in the Wall Street Journal whetted his interest in advance and it turned out he loved the book! "I really like her choice of words," he marveled at one point. And then his biggest accolade: "She's got a great sense of humor; even made me laugh on the corset page!"