“Image building” in the shopping center, the 1960s

“‘Image building’ in the shopping center, the 1960s,” shows how the effects of high-end stores like Neiman Marcus honing their brand into something unmistakably their own trickled down into the mid-level sector. As economy stores opened more locations across the United States in their attempts to become a ubiquitous part of everyday life, continuity between branding, advertising, and store interiors was of the utmost importance. This chapter offers J. C. Penney’s grand opening at NorthPark Shopping Center in Dallas as a quintessential example of this shift. While capitalizing on department store trends to bring mall shoppers into its store, J. C. Penney went to great lengths to distinguish its image through clever interior design. Neiman Marcus would also open a store in the same mall, thus setting up a competitive spirit that continues to drive the retail market today and compelled the then-nascent shopping mall to become a national institution. This transformation from local to national retailer won the affection and loyalty of shoppers and paved the way to modern retailing.