PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
439 Washington Street Dedham, MA 02026 Inside This Issue
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A Very Special Holiday
Tips for Running and Jogging in Cold Weather Are You Missing Out on $1 Million?
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A Better Way to Think About Motivation
Bacon-Wrapped Chestnuts
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When Holiday Shopping Meant Jordan Marsh
Today, a lot of us do our holiday shopping without ever so much as putting on a winter jacket. From the comfort of our homes, we hop on Amazon, make a few clicks, and call it a day. We go out to a few local retailers for a gift here and there, but the days of marathon holiday shopping sessions that are events unto themselves feel all but lost. In the middle of the 20th century, though, large retailers fought to be the Christmas shopping destination for thousands of people. And in Boston, nobody did it bigger or better than Jordan Marsh. The Many Lives of the Enchanted Village A Boston Tradition That’s Battled Time and Odds
The first run of the Enchanted Village ended in 1972, roughly coinciding with the end of the golden age of American department stores. By that time, shoppers had turned their sights to suburban malls. Jordan Marsh revived the tradition in the ‘90s, but it was absolved by Macy’s before the decade ended. The Enchanted Village, however, managed to live on. For a time, it was held at the Hynes Convention Center. Once the city could no longer afford to sponsor the event’s annual rollout, it looked doomed for certain. However, one of the region’s last attraction-loving retailers, Jordan’s Furniture (no relation), purchased all of the assets and now hosts the showcase at their Avon location during the holidays.
Jordan Marsh was founded as a dry goods wholesaler in 1841 but quickly became a pioneer of what would come to be called “department shopping.” As one of the first modern department stores, the company was both a one-stop shop and something of an attraction. During the 1940s, as the company expanded and built a new flagship store in Downtown Crossing, they introduced the Enchanted Village. To say it was extravagant would be an understatement. The display took up an entire floor of the shop. It was so beloved that to this day, Bostonians will tell you about Jordan Marsh, their blueberry muffins, and the Enchanted Village.
The Enchanted Village may not a headline in a world full of Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays, but it’s a local holiday tradition that refuses to go quietly, which we guess is only fitting given its status as an old-school Massachusetts tradition.
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