In the first week of the everything-must-go sale at Macy's, the downtown department store was buzzing, its racks full, a lunch hour clientele ascending up creaking escalators to bargain hunt for heavily-discounted handbags and housewares.
It was weird, but only because previous visits had proven vagrants wander the aisles in equal number to actual shoppers.
A visit in mid-February was downright depressing. Only three of the store's 10 floors remained opened for shoppers, one dedicated almost entirely to store furniture, fixtures and headless, denuded mannequins. I got away with a good deal on a pair of flats, a dozen plush bath towels and a personal blender.
CultureMap intern Adrienne Raquel dropped by 1110 Main Street on Tuesday for a peek at the racks — where everything is priced down 60 to 80 percent — and found that the pickings are slimmer than ever in what's expected to be the downtown Macy's final week.
If you want one last look at the historic store, go now — a representative anticipates closing "probably Saturday," and demolition plans have already been laid.
The downtown Macy's is almost a ghost town now.
