Filene's Basement on Connecticut downtown was one of my most favorite places of all time to go on a lunch break. Then the company went bankrupt and sold all its stuff and closed all its stores and took a long nap. Now it's back, solely online. I don't have my own PACER account, so I can't look at the bankruptcy filings, but I betcha what happened is somebody bought the marks and trade dress to relaunch it without the retail-space rent overhead.
The website is an honest reflection of what Filene's always was. Random stock, only gently curated, not well-presented, but with value everywhere--like TJ Maxx without the vertigo. The shoe brands are in the same market level as always: Italianate names with prices at long last reflecting their actual value instead of a brand-based markup. The selection of suits is completely random. Some poor sod is having to take pictures of the suit jackets on a mannequin and use the lasso tool in Photoshop to make a cutout. It's very eBay at the moment. Greater things to come, I'm sure, if they can capitalize on the goodwill. Meanwhile, the inability to try things on is a drag.
And they only have a few dozen ties. In my day, they had millions of ties. Millions, I tell you! Kids these days. No respect.
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When I' town I like to go to that Department Store at the East end of Pentagon City. The reason? Ties. Up here the selection of Extra Long ties is miserable. The problem is the New England Ergonomic Man.
ReplyDeleteRegards — Cliff