"Will miss you...Lord and Taylor flagship store is leaving Fifth Avenue"

To a dear friend who kept me warm and has some amazing people working in their building salute to 424 Fifth Avenue the Lord & Taylor flagship store

On the steps posing with the Christmas holiday display in 2015

Cheesing in the conference room  2016 the year I became permanent with HBC-Lord & Taylor 

Dreams come true....cheesing at my desk 22nd floor at Brookfield Place in the office 

  

I remember a long time ago when I was getting ready for the prom my senior year at Cathedral High School this was back in the spring of 2004 I remember looking around for dresses everywhere. I looked online at all of these different websites: Jovani, Cache, Jessica McClintock (which I ended up buying a hot pink satin dress strapless long evening dress)  and many others. I even went in person to Saks Fifth Avenue and one store I stumbled upon was Lord and Taylor I remember going in their store just to browse and to look inside to see what beautiful dresses they had at the time. I know it was expensive and I was a very wishful but I loved admiring the beautiful dresses and designs each and every designer and their staff created. 

 Little did I know that 11 years later I would be working inside their flagship store located on Fifth Avenue. I think I may have tried to apply with them too as a kid. It was an honor to work at their store from 2015-2017. I have worked in retail before but this retail experience and corporate experience is different.

Lord  and Taylor was not just a name but it is a lifestyle choice, it transforms you into someone you want to be sophisticated, well tailored, poised, confident, and glamorous. My first day of starting there working I did my best to show that I wanted to represent that completely to the company: elegance, confidence, class, and style. If I was dressed professionally or casually you wanted to show that you knew fashion, style, designers, and what it takes to represent a century old and a half company and brand. I loved working for them because I felt like how lucky and blessed am I to work in a store I always wanted to purchase things and I couldn’t afford when I was in my teens or my early twenties. It was amazing to earn a promotion from temporary employee to a permanent and executive role as their Facilities Financial Coordinator for Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue. Some days to me were like a beautiful dream walking around the store, getting invited to different celebrations and occasions. Some moments were eye opening and many lessons came from working there too. I developed a higher respect for retail employees, fashion designers, stylists, engineers, the people you see but don’t realize what their roles are within such a booming and thriving business. I loved every moment of it. I remember attending my first Hudson’s Bay Company Christmas holiday parties were amazing tons of champagne, shrimp, sushi, beef sliders, desserts, tons of delicious food.  I remember passing by heading to the office on 15 West 38^th Street and Fifth Avenue . I would admire,  look at all of the detail of the window displays for Lord & Taylor  and Saks Fifth Avenue changing every month by the visual department. I used to pass that store heading to the New York Public library across the street.

 I couldn’t believe sometimes I had an opportunity to work there. One special day I had an opportunity and a chance to attend a cool fashion collection party when Kylie and Kendall debuted their shoe collection. Everyone walking around sipping champagne, the fun events we would have inside the office during the holidays, the delicious desserts, food, and everything we all did together. I will forever cherish this moment of my life because I started out when I was 28 and when I left the company I was 30 so to go through a big milestone in my career, my life, and everything in between was pretty amazing. When the corporate division relocated to Brookfield Place and we worked hard to prepare, meetings, coordinated with movers, boxing items, and everything we did it was a team effort, especially with my boss and I. One funny story I will never forget the day the roof started leaking in the office was hilarious! We see lights, strobes going off, the fire alarm was blaring, the security guard, Johnny I remember him coming on the AP system to tell us “Please ignore the light strobes” but there was water coming down the ceiling that’s when we knew the store was falling apart with its internal pipes. It was so funny looking back my boss was screaming at me “Chloe, go….go home get out of here!” the ceiling was about the collapse or keep pouring water on my coworkers and I. I think that’s when I realized this adventure just got really fun. It was one of the funniest experiences.

We became a little family under that roof for a minute working in that office and when a dark cloud came over all of us. We were informed that many employees would be leaving and the organization and structure of the company would be different. We all stuck behind each other and supported each other when things got rough too. My boss and I were prepared it was hard because we knew it was coming. I knew actually almost a year before it happen that people were being cut however we didn’t know it was going to be that drastic. I noticed it with a few employees about four months into my job. I knew something was coming but I always knew have a backup plan in case things do not pan out.

Leaving Hudson’s Bay Company was one of the hardest days of my life and so bittersweet because people say when you commit to a company and job it is like a marriage and you intend to give your all body, mind, spirit, soul, and work ethic. You try to make it work and do it to the best of your ability. It was sad but I am forever grateful that one of my first permanent positions was with Lord and  Taylor, I am so happy that I was able to enjoy the last part of my 20s and enjoy that with this company. The funny thing is that I used to go across the street to the library to go look for a job. My job was right in front of me it was across the street (who knew?)
I made some friends, professional contacts, and many people who are forever in my heart and I will never forget that experience. I wish them the best of luck as they close a momentous chapter. This job has opened doors giving their sales associates, maintenance workers, custodians, door, asset protection (special thanks to you all for letting me in during the weekends when I needed to get belongings from the office), all of their staff members who kept that store thriving, alive, busy, booming, clean, and beautiful will be eternally grateful and will cherish the memories of the flagship store. Every tourist and local New Yorkers will remember everything they loved about the brand, the style, and what they provided to everyone. It’s not goodbye because other brands will still be tied to Hudson’s Bay Company but it is a farewell to a beautiful and momentous chapter. All the best to everyone good luck to them. I am so glad I had a chance to be a viewer behind the scenes and in front too. I learned and absorbed so much information personally and professionally. It was a great time for me to learn some life lessons that made me stronger. So to an old friend of New York City I will miss you deeply. I will be there this holiday season to shop I promise! See you very soon.
Visit http://www.lordandtaylor.com and http://www.thebay.com