Assignment 5: Erica

This Bloomingdale's is located at Perimeter Mall, which is also home to a Nordstrom, Dillards, and Macy's (its parent company). I had never been in this particular store before and so I was curious to see how it differed from its fellow anchors in the mall, as well as what aspects of historic department stores I could find in its design. The exterior is typical of the modern department store with a facade that suggests very little about what lies within. The logo is the key element of today's department store exterior and the glass doors are the only glimpse offered of your potential purchases. The monumental size of the building seems to be the only relationship between the past and present.

Once inside the first thing I noticed was the lighting, which is significantly less harsh than some department stores I have visited but by no means representative of the modern lighting trends. The lack of windows in the building necessitates the use of extensive lighting but at least a small attempt has been made to soften the environment. In fact, many of the modern design trends we have associated with Starbucks in class discussions are present at this entrance to Bloomingdale's including chrome, wood, and dark tiles. I was surprised by these attempts given the rather dated appearance of the rest of the mall but later learned that these were simply another form of marketing. While I stood here considering the lighting choices I also wondered about the decision to not include windows in the design of modern department stores. Of course electricity enabled this change, but I find the idea that the sun would fade fixtures and merchandise a rather weak argument for what would surely be an impressive sight to behold in natural light. Without it the Bloomingdale's seems much like a Wal-Mart, only with slightly less glaring lighting.

In search of better lighting I was drawn to what remains of the atrium found in this department store's predecessors. Today, the atrium consists of escalators with little room for much else, but this particular store at least offered a skylight. The modernized decor of the first floor entrance was abandoned by the time I reached the housewares department on the third and yet despite its blandness I found it much more inviting than the dark first floor. Customer service also plays a larger role up here as fewer items are self service and you can travel only a short distance without a visit from a salesperson. I ended my visit by descending the spiral of escalators and weaving my way through the glass cabinets full of perfume on the first floor, wondering what the allure is of the department store now that it has become this claustrophobic box.