Historic Pasadena Macy's Closing for Renovations, "Selling to Bare Walls!"—and Mannequins

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A concerned tipster prompted us to look into the renovations going on at the historic Macy's—a former Bullocks designed by Welton Becket in 1947—on South Lake Avenue in Pasadena. We sent one of our operatives to scope the scene and the on-going sale and found that the store will be closing May 1 for a complete remodel of the interior, but will maintain the modern accents of the historical building, including the exterior. A posted note reads:

"Dear Macy's Pasadena customer, Our store will be temporarily closed from May 2008-October 2008. We are taking the necessary steps to protect and preserve the character and quality of our Macy's building..."

From our reporter: "The whole store looks weathered, that’s for sure. The fitting rooms were gross, the elevators rickety, bad carpeting, etc," but notes on "the first floor, where they sell all the crystal, etc. you can really see the history." The sale started April 6 and will continue until closing, with much of the merch at 40%-50% off. "The women’s section looks pretty picked through, but if you have the patience, there are still some finds. Looked like some dresses, casual and evening, still hanging on first floor. Lots of INC in all the departments. Shoes are also really, really picked through. Bags/purses just about gone. Furniture, just about gone, but lots of lamps, accessories in furnishings. Lots of babies/kids stuff, lots of lingerie. Housewares and bedding looked like fun, though. Lots of plates, dishes, cookware, coffeemakers."

A resident of the area, our correspondent comments: "They’ve spruced up Lake Ave over the last few years, but Macy’s was still the anchor. There is a lot of shopping now (Anthropologie, Express, Talbots, Orvis, Pier 1, Borders, etc.) but still a lot of empty storefronts. It will be interesting to see how busy the street is without Macy’s open."
· RackedWire: Bliss-ful at W Residences, Pasadena Macy's Renovations [Racked]