Macy’s to return to Bloomingdale with new store
Editor’s note: To clarify an earlier version of the story, Macy’s was previously Marshall Field’s at Stratford Square Mall.
Macy’s is coming back to Bloomingdale.
About seven years after the retail giant closed its anchor store in Stratford Square Mall, a new Macy’s is in the works in the Bloomingdale Court shopping center, village officials say. Macy’s is slated to take over a roughly 35,000-square-foot space, a smaller footprint than its mall-based, full-line department stores.
“The development underway in Bloomingdale is part of Macy's expansion of our small-format stores, offering a curated selection of merchandise and a unique shopping experience that celebrates discovery and convenience,” a Macy’s spokesperson said in a statement.
Macy’s announced in October plans to add up to 30 new small-format stores across the country beginning this year and through fall 2025. The New York-based company said last fall the smaller stores are “strategically located in off-mall shopping centers to bring the brand closer to existing and desired customers while also encouraging more frequent visits.”
Marshall Field's was one of the major department stores at Stratford Square Mall before it became Macy's. The anchor building and part of the now-desolate mall were demolished in 2019 to make room for a standalone Woodman’s grocery store. Burlington and other mall businesses, such as LensCrafters, also have moved out of Stratford Square to nearby shopping centers in Bloomingdale.
“Even though they’ve chosen to leave their (mall) locations, we’ve been very fortunate to be able to keep them in Bloomingdale and have them want to stay a part of Bloomingdale,” said Sean Gascoigne, the village’s community and economic development director.
Macy’s is transforming an existing space formerly occupied by a T.J. Maxx & HomeGoods in Bloomingdale Court at Army Trail and Schmale roads. According to the Macy’s spokesperson, the store is scheduled to open in the spring.
“For Macy’s to come back and...make it a point to make a reinvestment into our community, that says a lot not only about the community, about our residents, and the future of Bloomingdale in terms of certain businesses’ interest in coming here,” Gascoigne said.
The village has already issued a permit for exterior improvements, and work is underway on the facade of the building.