MY MOTHER'S MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET

A friend of mine from the West Coast just posted a photo of the ancient wooden escalator at Macy’s Herald Square in Manhattan. I’d like to tell you how I hope there will always be a Macy’s store at 34th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. A place to do more than just sell. A place for children and folks who used to be children. A place to inspire. At Thanksgiving when thousands line the streets in awe of giant cartoon floats. At Christmas when window displays and holiday lights cheer. That first week of July when a fireworks show like no other celebrates the greatest declaration of democracy in history.

I can’t tell you that. I don’t know what a future of Amazon and AI and hedge funds and real estate developers and Macy’s Board and shareholders has in mind for this cultural icon that just so happens to carry men’s sweaters. Standing proudly since 1902 a few blocks south of the proverbial Great White Way, I cannot assure you that this place will not become a Great White Elephant.

But what I can do is tell you how this most wonderful of all stores embraced my late mother Adele at 18 years old, just seven months after her arrival from wartorn Europe and Siberian forced labor camps in February of 1946. Or rather, I can let her tell you, as she did more than 75 years ago in the Macy Star, its employee newsletter:

“Four years ago, on a ship coming to America, was the first time I heard about Macy’s. In my imagination, Macy’s became a place in a fairy tale. After that horrible war I could not believe a place like this could be possible…Next Saturday will be four years that I am in America. And it’s right here in Macy’s, more than any other place, that I learned about America and Democracy at work. The people I met here taught me how to speak English. It’s here that I learned that just because you speak with an accent people don’t laugh at you, but try to correct and help you. I learned how to walk and dress properly just by watching different people. In short, Macy’s made my dreams of freedom and Democracy come true. I decided to let you know how happy I am to work here. And I take this opportunity to thank my supervisors and fellow workers for everything they have done for me. Thanks a lot!”

Kindness and gratitude. Imagine that.