New Jersey’s Great Pop Culture Moments Vol.50: Miracle on 34th Street

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MACY: “Well, we can cover the country too. Notify our stores in San Francisco, Atlanta, Toledo, and Newark to get going right away.”
This scene in 1947’s Miracle on 34th Street shows R.H Macy rattling off several store locations from his empire. In retaliation against Gimbel’s, Macy instructs a couple of his employees to expand the new referral policy that Kris Kringle started because it created so much customer loyalty and positive publicity for them.   
When I watch movies like Miracle on 34th Street and A Christmas Story every Christmas season, I find myself in awe of the department store scenes. Shopping in department stores back in the 1940’s seemed like such a larger than life experience in comparison to the horrific battles encountered at Targets and Wal-Marts around the country. If you were a kid back then, the wondrous store front displays were of utmost importance because they provided the chance to scope out all the toys that you might put on your Christmas list. Macy’s in New York still attracts huge lines to view their store window spectacle during the holidays, but there isn’t really anything that grand in New Jersey. 

In the above scene, the Newark location Macy mentions is actually a Bamberger’s, which was one of the premiere department stores in New Jersey. It was founded way back in 1893 and their flagship store was built in Newark in 1912. In 1929, Macy’s bought Bamberger’s, but it wasn’t until 1986 that they were officially rebranded as Macy’s. In addition to malls across The Garden State, Bamberger’s operated stores in Morristown, Plainfield, and Princeton as well as in New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. An anonymous comment posted at The Department Store Museum blog summarizes exactly what Bamberger’s was: “Jersey’s version of Macy’s…”

Check out the Bamberger’s post at The Department Store Museum which offers pictures and info on many of their New Jersey locations. Also, several facts in this post were taken from the Bamberger’s Wikipedia entry.

NJ T-Shirt Tuesday 4: Marc Ecko Rutgers Line

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At first glance, choice selections from Marc Ecko’s various clothing lines look way too cool for me to wear. If there’s no Batman symbol or no trace of Gob from Arrested Development, I won’t even try to put the shirt on. In the case of Ecko’s clothing line, I must make an exception. This guy is responsible for really some freakin’ cool and inventive attire. It takes a brave company to give Star Wars proper respect in the apparel market, and Ecko did just that. Take a look at an old Armpit post where I snapped some pics of Vader, Yoda, Chewie and a Stormtrooper modeling the Ecko Star Wars line at Macy’s. Honestly, even though he’ll deny it, Vader was totally making love to the camera. Chewbacca may very well be the next Hansel, he’s so hot right now. Well, actually, he didn’t do that great at all, he was awkward, but I shot him a thumbs up anyway since it’s not wise to upset a Wookie.

In addition to the Star Wars line, the company is also responsible for the Ecko Unlimited, Zoo-York, MMA, and G-Unit lines, and has also teamed up with the tween queens Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens. In 2008, Ecko, a major proponent of New Jersey and former Rutgers University student, designed an entire clothing line inspired by NJ’s Scarlet Knights last year.

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Paris Hilton Sprinkles New Jersey With Her Fairy Dust

Unbeknownst to me, Paris Hilton made an appearance at Macy’s in Woodbridge Center Mall yesterday to promote her new Fairy Dust perfume. Apparently she didn’t want to rekindle our old flame. The linked story at MyCentralJersey.com says there was about 300 fans on line to meet her. Someone needs to tell me this crap BEFORE it happens! She never returned my Masters of the Universe Season One Volume 2 DVD box set that I let her borrow. Bitch.

Star Wars Gang Runway Modeling Ecko Line at Macy’s

Here’s some pics I snapped at Macy’s of Darth, Yoda, Boba, Chewie, and a Stormtrooper sashaying around in the new Marc Ecko Star Wars clothing line. I could almost hear Vader talking to Boba Fett “You’re money baby! You’re money!” Sucks for Ecko and Macy’s, but I think more people would actually want to buy the masks rather than the clothes.

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DAAAMN YODA! those are some big ass hands for one little dude! And Chewie looks like he’s wearing a toupe!

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He’s One Sexy Sith:
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