Here is the now closed JCPenney at North Shore Square Mall in Slidell La.
I did not get too many photos of the interior of the store since I entered at closing time.
Originally this store was supposed to stay open through the redevelopment.
The store had the famous dark mirrored glass entrance.
Anyone want to buy a plastic butt?
Housewares
Men's clothes.
The exit near the catalog center.
Think you will get service here?
Well, think again.
Bedding
More clothes
More housewares
Even more clothes.
Shoes
IZOD
The exterior of this store reminds me a little bit of Mervyn's stores. This mall had a Mervyn's too so I wonder if there was ever any confusion on the part of shoppers. It's interesting that this store closed given that it seemed to get some Ron Johnson-era renovations. Did this store ever get appliances?
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many plastic butts they sold for $10.99. I wonder what the clerks would think if someone brought several of those! Anyway, thanks for covering this store. It's a shame that this store in good condition with some retro touches had to close, but it is what it is.
I did not see any appliances at this store on my visit. It is possible that they were moved out prior to the store closing if they had any.
DeleteClosing this department store will make redeveloping the property easier, but it is a big loss for an area losing so much retail these days.
I thought about putting some panties on the plastic butt and asking how much it cost, just to see the look on the cashiers faces. The lines were so long, it wasn't worth the hassle though.
Would anyone here agree that Kohl's is pretty much a clone of Mervyns, other than the fact that Mervyns stores were usually (but not always) in malls, while Kohl's stores are usually in strip centers or on their own?
ReplyDeleteIf I ever needed a "plastic butt" while in Texas, the first place I would look would be H-E-B... get the joke?
I agree, Kohl's is very much like Mervyn's was. I would consider it the Northern version though since Mervyn's origins were from California. Mervyn's was at one time rumored to come back, but I guess that is dead in the water like other efforts to bring back dead stores.
DeleteHEButt, lol. I got ya.
While Mervyn's started out as out as a company from California, they were brought out by Dayton Hudson (Target) in the 1970s. I'm not sure how much influence Mervyn's got from Minnesota when they were owned by Dayton Hudson, but Mervyn's and Kohl's were essentially owned by companies in the same part of the country in the eras that we usually think of them.
DeleteThey are pretty similar stores though. I think Mervyn's sold some higher quality items, but Kohl's might have better designers. I think Kohl's might be a little more successful in selling housewares than Mervyn's. While Mervyn's sold linens and things like that, I don't think they sold vacuum cleaners and stuff that Kohl's sells. They certainly didn't have an electronics department like Kohl's has now. In fact, I've read that decades ago, Kohl's stores were more of a traditional department store and would have had a more significant electronics department. That was before their time in Houston so I can't really comment about that era of Kohl's.
As for the JCPenney butts, it looks like they were put next to the toy department. I wonder if any kids asked their parents to buy them butts! It also looks like the mannequin by the column might be giving us the finger, but it's hard to tell.
Mervyn's was probably watered down by Dayton Hudson when they were purchased by them. I remember their ads showing styles similar to what Pacsun has now, but the stores did not feel any different than any other department store.
DeleteI don't remember them having an electronics department, but I do remember them having toys.
You are correct in that the mannequin had the middle finger sticking out. You can say it was a mistake that they put moveable fingers on a mannequin.
Kohl's is going to start experimenting with ALDI grocery departments at certain stores. It sounds like a really strange idea. But there once were Kohl's supermarkets in Wisconsin that were eventually sold to A&P and closed about 20 years later. The Kohl's department stores didn't start until 16 years after Kohl's supermarkets.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a good idea, but the stores will probably be separate. If they put in their Trader Joes concept instead of Aldi, it would be even better.
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