Giving Lake Forest What She Wants – Marshall Field & Company Comes to Town

By Laurie Stein Chicago's retail landscape transformed dramatically in the early 1900s. At the heart of it was the emergence of the department store, which provided a more efficient and appealing shopping experience by consolidating merchandise categories under one roof and offering more sizing options for clothing.

No name loomed larger in this revolution than Chicago’s flagship department store Marshall Field & Co. With gleaming marble floors, soaring atriums, and iconic storefront window displays in its massive State Street location, Marshall Field’s set a new standard for retail. The store famously championed the motto “Give the lady what she wants,” reflecting Field’s belief that customer satisfaction was paramount. Innovations such as fixed prices, generous return policies, and in-store dining made shopping accessible and enjoyable for a growing middle class.

The Marshall Field building was a prominent presence in Market Square for decades.

Having reached the pinnacle of urban retail, by the late 1920s department stores began to extend their dominion to the suburbs. Branches of Marshall Field and Co. opened in Lake Forest, Evanston, and Oak Park to reach customers in their own backyards.

In 1928, Marshall Field opened its first suburban branch in Lake Forest, a short distance from the Lake Bluff estate of company executive Stanley Field, the founder’s nephew. Within three years this small shop expanded to anchor the downtown shopping district, Market Square.

The Lake Forest Marshall Field and Company was first located in the new theatre building at the northeast corner of Bank Lane and Deerpath, where it “adds greatly to the prestige of Deerpath avenue as a shopping center,” according to an article in The Lake Forester. The new Field’s branch featured “an especially selected lot of infant’s wear, and children’s school and sport apparel for ages up to 17 years,” and it initially focused on selling children’s clothing to mothers who didn’t want to trek all the way downtown with their kids. The shop’s first advertisement featured a child and parent examining a globe, emphasizing that “From Here, There and Everywhere Come Things for our Lake Forest Children’s Shop” – parents could order right imported designs in their backyard.

A 1928 Lake Forester advertisement touted imported clothing.

Due to popularity and demand for additional departments, in 1931 the Lake Forest branch relocated to a larger, more prominent location on Market Square, just as its anchor tenant was moving over to Deerpath. Field’s was now located in the former First National Bank building, with its Bedford limestone façade and Tuscan Doric columns pillaring across the front. The impressive exterior was matched by a luxuriant interior, decorated in the French Empire style on the main floor with a pine Early American room on the lower level.

In addition to children’s apparel, the new Marshall Field’s had dress accessories, lingerie, athletic goods for boys, a party bureau, and a children’s portrait painter. On-site customization was provided by a milliner, corsetiere, and a fashion designer who sketched original designs for customer approval.

In September 1932, Marshall Field added the former Public Service Co. quarters next door, enlarging the misses and women’s apparel section. In 1941 the store took over the second floor, displacing the YWCA. Even with 16,000 square feet, it was a comparatively small branch, and it often utilized like a personal shopping service in which customers ordered things to be sent for local pickup. In 1987, Field’s undertook a total renovation and became devoted to women’s and juniors’ apparel and accessories; the three floors featured specialty boutiques housing leading designers’ collections.

Marshall Field and Co. would anchor Market Square for 75 years. After being acquired in 2005, all Marshall Field’s stores were converted into Macy’s. Restricted from featuring the traditional large red star on the sign, Macy’s had to retain the old Marshall Field plaques on the building. This branch closed in January 2008.

On Thursday, April 2 at 7 p.m., the History Center will host historian Sarah Sullivan for a talk on “Marshall Field’s and Chicago.” Registration is available at www.lflbhistory.org. For more on Marshall Field & Co. in Lake Forest, check out the History Center’s exhibit “A Window on Fashion,” open through April 11.