It's sad to see a store chain die - especially when it is one that you depended on for clothing that fits. In my case, it was Catherine's, a brand of the Ascena Group. This firm also owns the Lane Bryant chain, and will be keeping many of their stores open. Unfortunately, there will be no Lane Bryant stores near me, nor will there be any stores left that cater to the larger, plus size woman.
Over the years, shopping has migrated to the internet. For many, this has been a good thing. But I've yet to believe that this is the case with women's clothing lines. There is little standardization in sizes, and one firm's size 2X could be another firm's size 5X. This is one of the many reasons why I didn't like a former friend buying clothes for me. Not only did this former friend's taste differ from mine in important ways, but she didn't know how to make sure something would fit me (or look good on me) once it was given to me. Her heart was in the right place for the most part, but she didn't understand that I didn't want to get caught up in needless gift giving - her friendship was the gift I valued most, not the goods she gave me. Since this woman is no longer a friend, I have the memories of the friendship and some of the little gifts I found use for.
In the past, I never thought twice of making a run to The Avenue in Newburgh, Catherine's in Paramus, or any one of the many Lane Bryant stores. By the time you read this post, The Avenue will have been gone for almost a year, all Catherine's stores will be closed, and only a handful of Lane Bryant stores will be left open. Even so, it was a shock to see the Lane Bryant in the Palisades Park Mall in West Nyack devoid of 90% of its merchandise. I thought that was going to be one of the few stores that would have survived. But with internet shopping the way it is, and the Pandemic hurting Mall sales, I shouldn't have been surprised to see this store being closed.
Luckily, I get a lot of paper catalogs from "successful" online sales outlets such as Woman Within and Ulla Popken. However, once I lose weight, I'll probably internet order the plus size offerings from Talbot's and JJill. Eventually, if I get to a size 18 and stabilize at that figure, I'll probably invest in a few Eileen Fisher outfits. But that won't be for a couple of years....
