When Bloomingdale's Blew Me Away

Picture the time - 1982 - New York City and I am fresh off the plane from Chicago.

I have three days and two nights to cover the place and commit it to memory. I am there with a group of friends and we landed ready to see "A Chorus Line" which I slept through - sorry.... and "Dreamgirls" - something that I was living for. Your life on this planet is a waste of time and effort if you never heard Jennifer Holliday sing "And I Am Telling You..." the way it's meant to be sung. If you don't own the CD, buy it and thank me later.

I had to hit all of the shops - Saks, Bonwit Teller, Bergdorf Goodman, but most especially - Bloomingdales.

The store looked very unassuming on the outside, but like a finely wrapped package, once you cracked the seal a world of adventure awaited - I walked in, went up the three little stairs and turned right to see the Cosmetics department - it was like heaven for a little teen-ager who was recently unleashed on the New York City streets.

All of the counters were perfect replicas of advertisements - it was like walking through the pages of Vogue or Glamour magazine. I couldn't get enough of the place and that image remains with me to this day. I felt like Beverly Johnson on a cover shoot. Salespeople were showering me with attention and I tried on so many different make-up options: I tried Chanel mascara for the first time. I discovered the true richness of a Lancome creme to powder and what lipstick is really supposed to feel like against your mouth - thanks Charles of the Ritz. It changed my life and made me promise to step up my game as soon as I had a real job.

Sadly, I haven't had that same experience since. The Chicago Bloomies seems like a cheap and squalid imitation to me. It's not dark or classic. The salespeople are not as knowledgeable about their product. You don't feel like moving in and begging for a job application.

Where's the magic, where's the power, where is the love? I can't even tell that they care. Maybe I'm trying for a shopper's high that I can never get again, but I still miss it - and I'll bet there are other shoppers out there who are looking for it too.