Loehmann’s is closed. Last week, the famous discount designer clothing store, shuttered the last of its remaining 39 shops, including one in Los Angeles where I live and four in New York City, where it first opened its doors in a former automobile showroom in 1921. Like legions of other Jewish girls over the decades, I first went to Loehmann’s with my grandmother in what was a generational rite of passage. From her I learned how to navigate mountains of surplus couture, avoid the sharp elbows of fellow shoppers ravenous for a deal and withstand the sea of uncompromising eyes in the communal dressing room, where everyone was more than happy to answer the age-old question: “Does that make my tush look big?” That first time I went to Loehmann’s with my Grandma Fran, and most every time thereafter, my Grandpa Mitch was in tow. No sooner did we walk in then she deposited him like a sack of potatoes with all the other Jewish men sitting against the wall with their wives’ purses perched neatly on their laps. My grandma then took me under her wing as she expertly combed through the endless racks of clothing, cherry-picking this and ruthlessly discarding that. Finally, she held up an Yves Saint Laurent peasant blouse against my chest, grinning in approval at finding such a gem. After the hunt, we headed to the dressing room with dozens of garments to try on. There, countless ladies young and old, in various stages of dress and undress—with their waist-high panties, bullet bras and girdles—were trying on their finds, bragging about nabbing the last Armani skirt in their size. And at 40% off, no less! For the next few hours, we tried on various outfits: me, flat-chested, hiding in a corner; my buxom grandmother easily exchanging opinions with other shoppers about what looked good and what did not. Loehmann’s was not for the faint of heart. There were no saleswomen here trying to persuade you that something was flattering when it wasn’t. Instead, an army of yentas occupied the dressing room, eager to deliver their unvarnished opinions. Indeed, it was in a Loehmann’s dressing![]()
