Some passings you know of (and one you probably don’t) after the jump ….
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There are a few recent passings — both commercial and human — that I would like to take note of. Some you know of, one you probably don’t.
Last December, I noted the demise of the specialty food shop Dean & DeLuca, many of whose products would be out-of-my-price-range if I shopped there regularly … yet for special occasions and gift-giving, it was a special place for me.
A similar retail establishment with a place in my heart was the Lord & Taylor department store chain ….. now undergoing bankruptcy. It is believed to be the oldest department store in the US: opening in 1826 by English immigrants Samuel Lord and George Washington Taylor. It thrived in the years following World War II, led by Dorothy Shaver, the first woman to lead a major retailer. Under Shaver it launched its first suburban branch stores and introduced the concept of personal shoppers.
Its demise was due to some usual reasons (competition from lower-priced outlets) plus its heavy debt load (having been taken private in 2006) — which led to the sale of its flagship 5th Avenue store in January, 2019. Interestingly, they sold it to the ill-fated WeWork firm, who wound-up selling it again: Amazon bought the space earlier this year. The pandemic was the final death knell of the chain.
Growing up, our family’s price range was normally that of Sears — yet if my mother wanted a special outfit, Lord & Taylor was our store. In addition, our Christmas tree was decorated with ornaments from two large, red boxes from L&T — though several have broken over the years, my sister still uses them. While I did not often shop there, it also became a place I would stop at in either New York or its Boston store if I needed a special purchase.
And especially at Christmastime: as New York’s department stores feature gala decorated windows (which does not seem to be the case in many other major cities). While R.H. Macy himself was the first to have decorated windows, it was a fellow named James Albert Bliss who seems to have revolutionized the practice.
Creative make-believe was the guiding tenant of 1930s holiday display when Lord & Taylor president Dorothy Shaver conceived windows that would provide a “free show.” At a time when Depression strapped New Yorkers, who certainly couldn’t afford the theater, needed a little theatricality, free of charge, Lord and Taylor’s delivered. In the early ‘30s, the store’s windows featured animated scenes powered by electric motors that put on a show for passersby.
Then, in 1937, Shaver and Bliss revolutionized holiday windows. That year, at Lord & Taylor, Bliss created “Bell Windows” a holiday window display without merchandise. The Bell Windows, showing ringing bells over a snowy winter landscape, were the first purely decorative holiday windows ever produced, and they were such show-stoppers, they returned each year until 1941.
Next, more of a common occurrence: the closure of a small, local business.
For over a dozen years, I lived about sixty miles north of where I do today: in the town of Lebanon, New Hampshire. And while I am not a regular patron of diners, there was one that I stopped in for breakfast every-so-often in downtown, just off the village green.
The Lebanon Diner was only in existence for eight years (much of the time after I relocated away), their menu was not extensive for a diner and their coffee was not quite as good as what you’d find in a specialty shop. Yet when there on a weekend (and I tried to get there at least 2x/year after I moved) I could count on a good meal … and the smiling face of its co-owner. Especially after the morning rush.
Karen Liot Hill was born in France, yet grew-up on my native Long Island, NY and came to the area as a student at nearby Dartmouth College. She has been on the Lebanon city council for sixteen years (a non-partisan post) and for the past four years has been the treasurer for Grafton County. That’s part of the reason that (in its short existence) it became a stop for visiting politicians (such as Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders and even Bill Weld).
What I did not know until now was that she also has a weekday afternoon slot as a radio station DJ. Whew, that’s a lot. We met at local Democratic Party meet-ups, and I could always talk to her about local, state or national news … or just old stories from our childhood. And later, I kept her apprised of my town’s politics.
Alas, even though it always seemed crowded when I was there: she and her co-owner made this Facebook post about closing due to the pandemic this past June:
“We are sad to announce that the Diner will not survive the COVID-19 shutdown. We join the ranks of other restaurants in the Upper Valley who also will not be reopening. Eight years for a restaurant is a long life, and we are proud to have been part of the downtown Lebanon community for almost a decade. The best part of the Lebanon Diner is the connections we have made with all of you.”
Despite my rational, accountant brain …. you see how much of a sentimental old fool I can be?
Finally, most of you know (by now) of the passing of the TV/film star Diana Rigg at age eighty-two. Two aspects of her 1960’s breakthrough TV show of note:
Let’s close with the late Nancy LaMott with her version of “In Passing Years”.
Now, on to Top Comments:
From Youffraita:
In today’s Pundit Round-up by my T/C colleague Chitown Kev— I would like to submit rugbymom's (diary worthy) comment on the Woodward book.
Highlighted by Angela Marx:
In the front-page story about GOP gerrymandering — this comment made by dopper0189 about gerrymandering harming Democrats in other ways.
And from Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........
In the diary by QuizzicalOne about the seasonal return of the quiz show Jeopardy! (and also noting the health concerns of its host) — both Isotope X as well as Bill Rehm suggest who may be Alex Trebek’s eventual successor.
TOP PHOTOSSeptember 9th, 2020 Next - enjoy jotter's wonderful *PictureQuilt™* below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment that features that photo.
(NOTE: Any missing images in the Quilt were removed because (a) they were from an unapproved source that somehow snuck through in the comments, or (b) it was an image from the DailyKos Image Library which didn't have permissions set to allow others to use it.) |
And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:
9) Whatever Trump touches dies. by Milkmaid +10614) Not so. There is plenty of outrage: … by NYVegan +9618) Or quoting every Republican Senator … by Blue Shark +9019) I really need to buy more popcorn. … by mmacdDE +8725) [image] by MarcKyle64 +8226) A cautionary tale by Denise Oliver Velez +8128) Kamala is ready for Trump by Denise Oliver Velez +75