The demise of two-century-old Lord & Taylor came with a whimper when it was announced that its three-dozen stores will close
Lord & Taylor had a short run at Christiana Mall after May Department Stores acquired Washington, D.C.’s Hecht’s, and Philadelphia’s Strawbridge and Clothier. The Wanamaker store was converted to a Hecht’s and later Lord & Taylor, another May brand.
The Lord & Taylor store generated some excitement early on. The store was a step up from the mall Wanamaker’s-Hecht’s which occupied a mid-range niche and never earned the affection that customers had for its original store just outside Wilmington. That store building is now part of the growing campus of drugmaker Incyte.
While more thought was put into merchandising at the more upscale Lord & Taylor, the store never did especially well in a sales-tax-free state.
When the end came, Christiana Mall was at a crossroads. In the wave of mergers, Federated Department Stores ended up with three of the four anchors at the mall, thanks to acquiring May.
Federated closed Strawbridge’s, which always did solid business and Lord & Taylor. Mall owners had to plot a comeback for their cash cow. The original Rubin family interests had cashed out through deals that included selling a half share of the mall for more than $200 million.
What emerged out of all of this was a makeover of the mall, razing the Strawbridge building and gaining highly regarded and pricy Nordstrom.
After sitting vacant for a time, the Lord & Taylor building was also demolished with a Target store taking its place. Restaurants with outside entrances were added along with a Cinemark Theater and a Cabela’s outdoor store near the mall’s boundary.
Lord & Taylor continued its decline under new owners and the pandemic hastened its demise.
Riviera Pizza says goodbye
Speaking of malls, Concord mainstay Cafe Riviera will close in late October after a four-decade run.
The failure to negotiate a lease with the new owners of the mall was cited as the reason for the decision, according to a social media post.
The mall off Concord Pike has seen a steady flight of tenants and the closing of a Sears anchor with no replacement on the horizon. The pandemic sent tenant departures into overdrive.
Riviera had been a great place for a family night out that does not bust the budget.
The family-owned business has been expanding beyond the mall with catering and mobile kitchen. It also operates La Pizzaria Metro at the building housing Wilmington Brewworks off Miller Road, complete with wood-fired oven.
Enjoy your weekend and grab a pizza at a family-owned establishment. We’ll be back on Monday. – Doug and Sharon Rainey.
