Bergdorf Goodman
Company type | Subsidiary |
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Industry | Retail |
Genre | Department stores |
Founded | 1899New York City, U.S. | in
Founder | Herman Bergdorf |
Headquarters | 754 5th Ave, New York, NY USA 10019 40°45′48″N 73°58′27″W / 40.7634°N 73.9741°W |
Number of locations | 2 (both on 700 block 5th Ave, New York City) |
Key people | |
Products |
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Parent |
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Website | bergdorfgoodman |
Bergdorf Goodman Inc. is a luxury department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son, Andrew Goodman.
Today, Bergdorf Goodman operates from two stores situated across the street from each other at Fifth Avenue between 57th Street and 58th Street. The main store, which opened at its current location in 1928, is located on the west side of Fifth Avenue. A separate men's store, which was established in 1990, is located on the east side of Fifth Avenue, and it is directly across the street from the main store.
Since the early 2010s, Bergdorf Goodman has been a subsidiary of Neiman Marcus, which is owned by the private equity firm Ares Management.[2]
History
Founding and early history (1899–1951)
The company traces its origins to 1899 when Herman Bergdorf, an immigrant from
Edwin Goodman, a 23-year-old
Although Goodman had developed a good business as a ladies' tailor on 32nd Street, he decided to move uptown in 1914. He constructed a five-story building at 616 Fifth Avenue, on the site of what is today Rockefeller Center.[5] In 1914, he became the first couturier to introduce ready-to-wear, making Bergdorf Goodman a destination for American and French fashion.
The store moved to its present location at Fifth Avenue and 58th Street in 1928, building its
The second generation (1951–1972)
Goodman's son, Andrew, assumed the role of president in 1951 and succeeded as head of the company in 1953, following the death of his father.[7] Andrew was responsible for enhancing Bergdorf's reputation and expanding its range of merchandise and services.
During Andrew's tenure as chairman, Bergdorf opened a fur salon (headed by Emeric Partos from 1955 to 1975),[8] developed the successful Bergdorf Goodman Number Nine perfume ("Love Potion Number Nine"), and created Miss Bergdorf, a ready-to-wear line for younger customers.
The Bergdorf Goodman Building began a $1 million expansion in 1959 ($10.5 million today) into two adjacent buildings. The Boys and Girls gift shop expanded into a whole floor, and the beauty salon and bridal, fur and men's departments also expanded. Eight years later, a $2.5 million expansion in 1967 ($22.8 million today) nearly doubled the store's area, to 120,000 square feet (11,000 m2).[7]
New ownership (1972–1990)
In 1972, Andrew Goodman sold Bergdorf Goodman to Broadway-Hale Stores, which would become
At first, CHH considered building branch locations, ultimately only constructing one location, in nearby White Plains, New York, in 1972. This location eventually became a Neiman Marcus branch in 1981. To combat its image difficulties, the company hired Dawn Mello in 1975 as vice president of fashion. She was successful in reinvigorating the conservative store and became president in 1984. She left her post in 1989 to work for the floundering Italian fashion house Gucci, though she returned to her post as president in 1994.[citation needed]
Bergdorf Goodman's parent company became the object of takeover bids in the 1980s. As a way to maintain its independence,
Reaching the centennial (1990–present)
In 2002, the Bergdorf Goodman Building underwent a major restoration, including a restoration of the main floor of the women's store. In 2003, the store introduced new boutiques for
On May 2, 2005, two
In media and popular culture
The store has been the subject of two documentary films: the 2001 film Dita and the Family Business,[12] exploring the store from the point of view of its owners, and the 2013 feature documentary Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's, which features many testimonials from designers and celebrities. In 1953's movie How to Marry a Millionaire, Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable, and Marilyn Monroe consider “the mink department at Bergdorf’s” the ideal location to meet men. Cary Grant sends Doris Day on a shopping spree at the store in the 1962 movie That Touch of Mink. The store has also made several appearances in the cartoon Neo Yokio. The protagonist, Kaz Kaan, and his rival, Arcangelo, both buy their suits from Bergdorf's. Most recently, Bergdorf Goodman was featured in a scene of the film Ocean's 8 in which Sandra Bullock's character steals cosmetics from the store.[13]
The store was prominently featured in the film Arthur in 1981. The store was featured in the Miss Piggy/ Joan Rivers scene of The Muppets Take Manhattan.[14] It was also featured in Sex and the City as a favorite shopping location of central character Carrie Bradshaw. It was particularly featured in the Sex and the City 2 movie.[15] In the television show Parks and Recreation, the character April Ludgate pretends on multiple occasions to be an exaggerated socialite named "Janet Snakehole", whose husband keeps her in "the finest Bergdorf Goodman" clothing. The first time April plays this character within a character, she is mock arrested by another character-in-character, Andy Dwyer pretending to be FBI agent Burt Macklin. Macklin attempts to arrest Snakehole, causing Snakehole to shriek that she never stole the (assumedly Bergdorf Goodman) jewels, her sister did, "but now she's been eaten by wolves!"
In 2019, news journalist E. Jean Carroll alleged that Donald Trump had sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s.[16] Trump was found liable of sexually assaulting her by a jury in 2023, but not liable of raping her.[17] In March 2024, Trump referred to Carroll as "Miss Bergdorf Goodman" in an interview on the CNBC show "Squawk Box",[18] which led to Carroll's attorney threatening a third defamation lawsuit against Trump.[19]
See also
- Barneys New York
- Saks Fifth Avenue
- List of department stores
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets
References
- ^ Palmieri, Jean E. (13 March 2014). "Bruce Pask Takes Men's Fashion Post at Bergdorf Goodman". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- ^ Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman File for Bankruptcy — But Pledge to Return Robb Report, Martin Lerma, May 7, 2020
- ^ American Jewish Year Book, Volume 95, Cyrus Adler, Henrietta Szold VNR AG, 1995, page 587
- ISSN 0161-2433.
- ^ "Fight in Fifth Ave. Tailors' Strike" (PDF). The New York Times. 20 February 1915. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ Gray, Christopher (30 August 1998). "The Bergdorf Goodman Building on Fifth Avenue; From Architectural Links to Common Ownership". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ a b c Lambert, Bruce (5 April 1993). "Andrew Goodman, 86, Bergdorf's Innovator, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ Lambert, Eleanor (4 October 1957). "Coty 'Winnie' Awards go to Three Top Designers". Corpus Christi Times. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ Barmash, Isadore (18 August 1988). "Bergdorf Weighs a Satellite Store". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- CNNMoney. 2 May 2005.
- ^ "Dita and the Family Business". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- ^ Brody, Richard (7 June 2018). ""Ocean's 8" Isn't Up to the Talents of Its Stars". The New Yorker. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
- ^ "The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)". IMDb.
- ^ "Sex and the City 2 at Bergdorf Goodman Store – filming location".
- ^ Jones, Sarah (21 June 2019). "E. Jean Carroll: "Trump attacked me in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman."". Intelligencer. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ "Jury finds Trump sexually abused writer in NY store". BBC News. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ Fortinsky, Sarah (11 March 2024). "Trump dubs Carroll 'Miss Bergdorf Goodman' in dig at defamation verdict". The Hill. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ Breuninger, Kevin (11 March 2024). "E. Jean Carroll lawyer suggests third Trump defamation lawsuit possible after new comments". CNBC. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
External links
- Bergdorf Goodman website
- Bergdorf Goodman Company History. Funding Universe
- Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's Documentary