Author Topic: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!  (Read 10810 times)

Offline Front-Ranger

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Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« on: January 05, 2009, 04:20:22 pm »
These stores are about to shutter their doors:

Circuit City stores... most recent (? how many)

 Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide are to be shuttered

 Lane Bryant,, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 store nationwide

 Eddie Bauer to close 27 stores and more after January

 Cache will close all stores

 Talbots closing down all stores

 J. Jill closing all stores

 GAP closing 85 stores

 Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January
 Wickes Furniture closing down

 Levitz closing down remaining stores

 Bombay closing remaining stores

 Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January.

 Whitehall closing all stores

 Piercing Pagoda closing all stores

 Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.

 Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ (New Brunswick)

 Macys to close 9 stores after January

 Linens and Things closing all stores

 Movie Galley Closing all stores

 Pacific Sunware closing stores

 Pep Boys Closing 33 stores

 Sprint/ Nextel closing 133 stores

 JC Penney closing a number of stores after January

 Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.

 Wilson Leather closing down all stores

 Sharper Image closing down all stores

 K B Toys closing 356 stores

 Loews to close down some stores

 Dillard's to close some stores



"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Ellemeno

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2009, 04:45:45 pm »
I got this as an email a while back, followed by a rebuttal email from someone who had Snopes'd it.  Snopes says this is a mix of accurate and inaccurate info.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/storeclosings.asp

Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2009, 03:02:30 am »

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28482905/

Rainbow Room to close grill, citing economy
Recession and dispute with lease forces grill to temporarily shut down



In this Dec. 17, 1998 file photo, guests at New York's Rainbow Room dance
on the revolving floor of the restaurant and nightclub just before it was
temporarily closed and remodeled.



updated 7:26 p.m. ET, Sat., Jan. 3, 2009

NEW YORK
- The recession has reached the ritzy Rainbow Room, the special-occasion spot that overlooks midtown Manhattan from high above the tourist-attracting Rockefeller Center skating rink.

With business slowing and the lease in dispute, the venue's Italian-themed Rainbow Grill restaurant plans to shutter as of Jan. 12, a spokesman said Saturday. Its bar, banquet space and the weekend dinner-dancing sessions that reflect its glamorous history will continue on the 65th floor.

"It's a very difficult decision to make, given the sort of status of the Rainbow Room as one of these quote-unquote New York City icons," said Ben Branham, a spokesman for the operators, the Cipriani restaurant empire. "The move is made, definitely, as one of protecting the venue."

He said it was unclear how long the restaurant would be closed. During the downturn after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the eatery — where a recent dinner menu ranged from a $28 rice pilaf to a $53 rib-eye steak — shifted to lighter fare for several months.

About 30 to 40 of the Rainbow Room's 120 workers would lose their jobs, said Branham. He didn't have figures on the extent of the slowdown but said there was still demand for the storied establishment.

"People still very much think of the Rainbow Room as a destination for special events and one that evokes a certain New York City charm," he said.

The Rainbow Room has symbolized cosmopolitan elegance since it opened in 1934, during the Great Depression. It is located above NBC's studios at Rockefeller Center, offering Art Deco ambiance and glittering vistas of the city skyline.

Generations of celebrities have performed and partied there. Frank Sinatra once showed up on the same night as Bob Dylan. Famously unruly Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards even donned a tie to see a Marianne Faithfull show there.

The venue's periodic dinner and dancing nights still call for suits and dresses — if not tuxedos and evening gowns — and feature a big-band orchestra.

The Cipriani family, which runs a roster of swank spots including Harry's Bar in Venice, has managed the Rainbow Room since 1998. The Ciprianis asked the city Landmarks Preservation Commission in August to give the Rainbow Room landmark status, amid negotiations over its lease.

The Ciprianis said landlord Tishman Speyer has had the venue appraised as office space worth $8.7 million a year in rent, more than twice the current rate.

A Tishman spokeswoman didn't immediately return a telephone call Saturday, but WNBC-TV reported Friday that a spokesman said the landlord had no plans to convert the space.
"Tu doives entendre je t'aime."
(and you know who I am...)


Cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne)
and Pee-wee in the 1990 episode
"Camping Out"

Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2009, 05:32:59 pm »


Here's a scary 'Jimmy Olsen' reportage-type photo, right out of the dark room today:


New York's Henri Bendel, one of the premier shops on Fifth Avenue:


As Jimmy might have said: "Criminy!" (Or "Yikes!" or "Gee Willikers, this is bad!")

No joke at all, actually.

 :P
"Tu doives entendre je t'aime."
(and you know who I am...)


Cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne)
and Pee-wee in the 1990 episode
"Camping Out"

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2009, 05:49:57 pm »
Or as somebody else would say, "Ruh Roh!"
"chewing gum and duct tape"

karen1129

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #5 on: January 06, 2009, 05:51:36 pm »
OMG  !!!

Dillards is my favorite department store !!!

ACK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :'(


Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #6 on: January 06, 2009, 06:07:09 pm »
OMG  !!!

Dillards is my favorite department store !!!

ACK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :'(


Then, get out there and spend spend spend!!

"chewing gum and duct tape"

karen1129

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #7 on: January 06, 2009, 06:13:00 pm »
Then, get out there and spend spend spend!!



I did ever the holidays !!!!

I'll go again this weekend !   :laugh:

Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #8 on: January 06, 2009, 06:37:31 pm »

I did ever the holidays !!!!

I'll go again this weekend !   :laugh:


Me too.

Naughty.

(But maybe not!)

I should get a Plaque of Merit, or something... ::)
"Tu doives entendre je t'aime."
(and you know who I am...)


Cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne)
and Pee-wee in the 1990 episode
"Camping Out"

Offline David In Indy

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2009, 06:54:17 pm »
It's very sad to see this happen. Roughly a quarter of the stores inside our malls around here have either already closed up or are going out of business. Of the remaining three quarters of the mall stores, probably half of them are on very shaky ground. Many of the stores at the strip mall/shopping centers are closing as well. Many stores are also closing in the downtown shopping district. It's very scary. :(

Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

karen1129

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2009, 06:55:56 pm »
It's very sad to see this happen. Roughly a quarter of the stores inside our malls around here have either already closed up or are going out of business. Of the remaining three quarters of the mall stores, probably half of them are on very shaky ground. Many of the stores at the strip mall/shopping centers are closing as well. Many stores are also closing in the downtown shopping district. It's very scary. :(



It really is David.

All the people that worked at these stores are now without jobs.

 :'(

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2009, 07:54:57 pm »
I have mixed feelings about it. Now all those mall workers have no jobs, no shitty mall jobs that is. And our homes won't be so filled with all that stuff that we have to rent storage units to put it in. And 14 year old girls in China won't have factory jobs to make all that stuff, so they'll have to go to school instead. Hmmm, maybe it isn't so bad after all!
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2009, 08:27:55 pm »

I have mixed feelings about it. Now all those mall workers have no jobs, no shitty mall jobs that is. And our homes won't be so filled with all that stuff that we have to rent storage units to put it in. And 14 year old girls in China won't have factory jobs to make all that stuff, so they'll have to go to school instead. Hmmm, maybe it isn't so bad after all!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Gifts

Simple Gifts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


"Simple Gifts" is an 1848 Shaker song by Elder Joseph Brackett.

It has endured many inaccurate descriptions. Though often classified as an anonymous Shaker hymn or as a work song, it is better classified as a "Dance Song" or a "Quick Dance." (That is apparent with such lines of the song as "turn, turn will be our delight" and "turning, turning we come round right". These are dance instructions.)

The lyrics

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.




I'm conflicted myself. Sometimes I'd just like to stop all the "stuff" and become "simple." But then what happens when the economy really crashes?

And I really love my iPhone...  ::)
"Tu doives entendre je t'aime."
(and you know who I am...)


Cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne)
and Pee-wee in the 1990 episode
"Camping Out"

Offline David In Indy

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #13 on: January 06, 2009, 08:30:49 pm »
I have mixed feelings about it. Now all those mall workers have no jobs, no shitty mall jobs that is. And our homes won't be so filled with all that stuff that we have to rent storage units to put it in. And 14 year old girls in China won't have factory jobs to make all that stuff, so they'll have to go to school instead. Hmmm, maybe it isn't so bad after all!


A shitty job is better than no job at all, Lee. Now as far as the 14 year olds working in factories, I couldn't agree with you more.
Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #14 on: January 06, 2009, 11:34:44 pm »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Gifts

Simple Gifts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


"Simple Gifts" is an 1848 Shaker song by Elder Joseph Brackett.

It has endured many inaccurate descriptions. Though often classified as an anonymous Shaker hymn or as a work song, it is better classified as a "Dance Song" or a "Quick Dance." (That is apparent with such lines of the song as "turn, turn will be our delight" and "turning, turning we come round right". These are dance instructions.)

Which is why I found it peculiar that "Simple Gifts" is in the Episcopal hymnal. It's a religious dance song.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #15 on: January 06, 2009, 11:39:08 pm »
A shitty job is better than no job at all, Lee. Now as far as the 14 year olds working in factories, I couldn't agree with you more.
Oh, I'm not so sure. I was just reading a story, "Strange Stones" in the latest edition of The New Yorker, where a Peace Corps volunteer was teaching in China, and his students argued that littering is good, because without it, all the people who toil to clean up the roads would lose their jobs. It's logic like that that distract us from the important matters.

"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline optom3

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #16 on: January 07, 2009, 12:00:02 am »
It's very sad to see this happen. Roughly a quarter of the stores inside our malls around here have either already closed up or are going out of business. Of the remaining three quarters of the mall stores, probably half of them are on very shaky ground. Many of the stores at the strip mall/shopping centers are closing as well. Many stores are also closing in the downtown shopping district. It's very scary. :(



It is the same here.All the malls are half empty, with more shops closed than open.It is getting quite scary. I never thought I would see Starbucks or the Disney store close. It seems like America is slowly shutting down.I don't quite know how to word it, but it is scary.We know so many people here  who are in foreclosure.We are only just hanging on and every day is another battle.

Even along the roads more and more businesses are closing.Each day I go into the shop it seems there is another one which has all the windows boarded up. I have to try and not let the kids see how scared I am. I keep thinking, we just have to hang on until June when I can take part of one of my pensions.
The last time I went into Macy's there was not a single person in there, not one!!
It does not seem much better in England.My sister in law has a beauty therapy business and one week before Xmas she had not one client in the whole week.That  in a very wealthy part of London as well.
I really do think this is going to be a very long, hard recovery,(I hope I am wrong) and personally, I would not do the Presidents job (not that I can) if it was offered to me on a gold platter with an 8 figure salary. !!!

He will I guess, either be remembered  as the one who saved the American economy, or sunk it. Let's hope it is the former.I certainly do not envy him.

The odd thing is, one of the closest, small strip malls to where we live, had a Panera breadshop open.They sell bread and sandwiches at ludicrous prices, yet it is always busy, so some people still have money. $7 for a loaf, you have to be kidding me.
If we could get the finance, fat chance, I would love to lease one of the numerous empty shops there as a butchers. Our meat is so good that some people come 30 miles for it.Not enough I am afraid, I just think if we could sell that quality of meat, in Sarasota, but at Bradenton prices we would do very nicely.In the meantime it is try to build up the internet, delivery side of things.

Ah well, faint heart and all that !!!

Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #17 on: January 07, 2009, 12:15:26 am »

Which is why I found it peculiar that "Simple Gifts" is in the Episcopal hymnal. It's a religious dance song.


You might like this, Jeff.


Simple Gifts                                                                       (3:44)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwH6-QmvM5c&feature=related[/youtube]


"Tu doives entendre je t'aime."
(and you know who I am...)


Cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne)
and Pee-wee in the 1990 episode
"Camping Out"

Offline Ellemeno

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #18 on: January 08, 2009, 12:22:09 am »
Which is why I found it peculiar that "Simple Gifts" is in the Episcopal hymnal. It's a religious dance song.


It's probably in every hymnal.  A nearly perfect song, IMO.

Nice to see you, Jeff.

Offline Ellemeno

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #19 on: January 08, 2009, 12:22:45 am »


Simple Gifts                                                                       (3:44)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwH6-QmvM5c&feature=related[/youtube]





I quibble with the changes this guy made to the tune. 

Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #20 on: January 08, 2009, 08:46:55 pm »

I quibble with the changes this guy made to the tune. 


You might like this version, Elle!


Professional photographer Jim Crotty presents "Simple Gifts," set to the classic Shaker traditional performed by Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss, representing spring nature and landscape photographs taken in Southern Ohio as well as the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.


"Simple Gifts,"
Yo-Yo Ma (Cellist)
Alison Krauss (Soprano)
Jim Crotty (Photographer)
                                      (2:38)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBOYYlanm1k[/youtube]

"Tu doives entendre je t'aime."
(and you know who I am...)


Cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne)
and Pee-wee in the 1990 episode
"Camping Out"

Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #21 on: January 08, 2009, 09:02:11 pm »


I saw this amazing 30-minute documentary more than 30 years ago--and now you can see the entire film on the web, with a single click. Gorgeous.



The Shakers



The Shakers are America's oldest and most successful experiment in communal living. A century ago, nearly 6,000 Shaker brothers and sisters lived together in nineteen communities scattered from Maine to Kentucky. This film traces the growth, decline, and continuing survival of this remarkable and influential religious sect through the memories and rich song traditions of Shakers themselves. It includes performances by the late Eldress Marguerite Frost of Canterbury, New Hampshire, and the late Sister R. Mildred Barker, a leading singer and spiritual leader of the Shaker community still active at Sabbathday Lake, Maine when the film was made.

For an account of how the film was made and for contextual materials on the song tradition and gift painting tradition, we highly recommend the essays recently posted by Shaker scholar Daniel Patterson. This work was part of a 2006 grant from the Folk Arts division of the National Endowment for the Arts.


...the definitive film on the Shaker movement.
--- The New Yorker Magazine


Film by Tom Davenport, Frank DeCola
Produced by Tom Davenport with Frank DeCola and Daniel Patterson
Cinematographer: Tom Davenport
Sound: Mimi Davenport, Don Berman, Dan Barnett
Editing: Louise B. Steig
Copyright: 1974, Tom Davenport Films
30 minutes, Color
Original format: 16mm, 1974
Distributor Contact: Davenport Films

Streaming only. For other permissions apply to Tom Davenport, Frank DeCola or to the distributor, Davenport Films.

http://www.folkstreams.net/film,84
"Tu doives entendre je t'aime."
(and you know who I am...)


Cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne)
and Pee-wee in the 1990 episode
"Camping Out"

Offline Ellemeno

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #22 on: January 09, 2009, 06:15:19 am »

You might like this version, Elle!


Professional photographer Jim Crotty presents "Simple Gifts," set to the classic Shaker traditional performed by Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss, representing spring nature and landscape photographs taken in Southern Ohio as well as the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.


"Simple Gifts,"
Yo-Yo Ma (Cellist)
Alison Krauss (Soprano)
Jim Crotty (Photographer)
                                      (2:38)
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBOYYlanm1k[/youtube]




Oh yes.  :)  I love Alison Krauss, and I superlove Yo-Yo Ma.  And now I love Jim Crotty too.  Thank you John.  That was pretty perfect.



Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #23 on: January 09, 2009, 11:24:21 am »
It is the same here. All the malls are half empty, with more shops closed than open.

And yet, until a few months ago, anyway, they were still building more and more places to shop--at least in Central Pennsylvania, anyway.  ???
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Stores Closing...use your gift cards now!
« Reply #24 on: January 09, 2009, 11:41:18 am »
It's probably in every hymnal.  A nearly perfect song, IMO.

I can't remember if I checked to see if it's in the new Lutheran hymnal--and I can't seem to get the AugsburgFortress web site (the publisher) to load this morning to check.  >:(

It is a lovely lyric to a lovely tune, but personally I don't think it belongs in an orthodox Christian hymnal. The lyric doesn't even mention God or Jesus.

But let be, let be. ...
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.