R.I.P. Marshall Field's

Ok everyone. Before you read any further you better grab a kleenex or ten, cause this one is just so tragic that the tears are gonna pour fourth. I mean its like the Roman Empire fell all over again. Ok, now that you have your kleenex and hopefully you are sitting down I must break the news to you....Marshall Field's is dieing. Yes, I know I can hardly speak for the sobs, but the reign of the great store is coming to an end.
For those that don't read the paper, especially the Chicago Tribune like me, you may not have noticed that Federated Department Stores, owners of the ever popular Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores, have just made a deal to buy May Company. Now 3 years ago this would have mattered little to me, as I don't think Ive ever stepped foot inside a Lord & Taylor. But alas 3 years ago the ever wonderful Target Co. sold Marshall Field's to the May Company after overhauling it and making it the great store that it is today. So now Federated will own all the Marshall Field's, and whats even worse...they say they want to turn them all into Macy's. I shall pause now so you can let out the grief and emotions.
The only ray of light in this sad moment is that the fate of the Marshall Field's flagship on State Street in Chicago is as of yet undetermined. If you have ever been a tourist in Chicago like myself, you may have noticed that the State Street Marshall Field's is on an architechural tour that explores the ever famous Tiffany glass. To think that the name Macy's would slander such great work. Well it's just too much.
Now I consider myself a fairly impartial observer when it comes to Marshall Field's and Macy's. Neither store is very big in Houston, where I'm from. There is exactly one Macy's and zero Marshall Field's so I had never had strong feeling about either one. Until I ventured to Minneapolis and wandered into the Marshall Field's downtown and drooled. I instantly fell in love with Thomas Pink and began dreaming of the day when I could afford the ever so luxurious line of clothes. Not to mention the Jack Spade (of which I am now a proud owner), Burberry, Tumi, Dolce and Gabbana, Diesel, G-Star Raw, Sevens, etc. When I walked through I must say I had never seen so many brands of jeans over $100/pair in one place. Well at least not so many that I liked. Sure Niemen's and Saks have such clothes, but they are usually ugly and made for people that weigh 10 pounds. Now Marshall Field's carries FCUK, but I decided not to hold that against them. The entire store made me dream of a day when I had a nice income and could afford to actually buy something. And since then I have held that as one of my goals. And now it has been stripped away from me by Macy's. A store that perhaps with the exception of its Manhatten flagship, simply cannot compete with Marshall Field's. The only brand Macy's carries that I like is H.
So for me this is a sad day, when a 150 year old giant, newly refashioned by the ever hip Target, shall be destroyed by the ever so beige Macy's. My only hope is that they keep Thomas Pink, so at least a tiny piece of my dream can stay alive. So R.I.P. Marshall Field's...we shall remember you as the dream that almost was.