The landmark Strawbridge's department store at Eighth and Market streets will become a Macy's by this fall, Strawbridge's has announced.
The change results from the recent merger of Strawbridge's parent company, May Department Stores, with Federated Department Stores, which owns Macy's and Bloomingdales.
Strawbridge's -- which has stores in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania -- has been in business for 145 years.
Federated also plans to drop its Lord & Taylor stores -- another chain it acquired in the merger -- by the end of the year. The fate of the Lord & Taylor at 13th and Market streets is currently unknown.
And although the new Macy's may end up bringing in more business than the Strawbridge's did, many people have mixed feelings about the change.
"Macy's is certainly a known business," Urban Studies professor Tom Daniels said. "But it is always a little sad when you see a long-established business change hands."
Eugenie Birch, also an Urban Studies professor, said in an e-mail interview that Macy's will suit Philadelphia because it is affordable and will "serve a broad audience."
Federated plans to add about 330 new Macy's locations nationally, bringing the total number of stores to about 730 by the end of the year.
Though no chain has announced that it will replace the Lord & Taylor in center city, College sophomore Jennifer Bronson said she is hoping for an affordable option.
"I feel like it should be accessible," she said, adding that a high-end store like Saks Fifth Avenue would not suit the space.
But Daniels said Center City is becoming more upscale and that "there certainly has been an influx of more upscale residents to Center City."
"An upscale department store would be a good fit," he said.
Department stores help shape the feel of downtown areas and attract residents, Birch said.
"Being a great place to live means that a downtown is full of amenities," she said. One of these amenities is shopping, she added, and retail is best tailored to the tastes of residents.
She added that new downtown populations tend to be young, wealthy and well-educated.
College freshman Marissa Turow, who grew up outside of Philadelphia, said she does not think the changes will impact the community.
"I don't really think people will notice that Strawbridge's will change to Macy's," she said.
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