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2009 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book Delivers

Yep, Neiman Marcus is hurting, and they know we’re hurting too. So in this year’s Christmas book, all today’s headlines are saying, they’re offering plenty more affordable options.

Don’t worry, though, if you need a $25,000 cupcake car, they’re there for you also.

If I had $200K to spare, maybe this. But John Lithgow?

Walls Are Crumbling at Neiman Marcus

Not literally, as far as I know. Things are bad for the luxury retailer. But not quite that bad.

The wall that has crumbled, according to the New York Post, is the wall between Neiman’s corporate and its Bergdorf Goodman division. Apparently Bergdorf has always had its own fashion office. In what would appear to be a sensible move when you’re trying to hold on to your effin’ ocelot-fur hat, they consolidated some of the roles. Those in the Bergdorf fashion office balked. The men’s fashion director quit.

Neiman President and CEO Karen Katz — who engineered the recent consolidation of Fazio and Patel’s roles — “maybe doesn’t totally get the fashion office,” according to one person close to the company.

The dust-up is another headache for Neiman Chairman Burt Tansky, who is beset by rumors that he will retire — even as the retailer scrambles to cut costs as sales continue to plunge.

One journalism-related complaint, which may seem strange to bother with since we’re talking about the New York Post here: “one person close to the company?”  That’s as specific as you can get?  Sounds like that quote could have come from a homeless guy standing outside the Neiman’s offices downtown.

JCPenney Most Innovative Company in North Texas

JCPenney apparently has the most innovative business technology in North Texas, as it’s the highest ranking  local company on this year’s Information Week 500. The Plano-based retailer finishes No. 6 and was the category winner for Supply Chain and industry winner for Retail at the star-studded awards gala last night:

JCPenney`s Door to Floor technology was cited by InformationWeek as one of the
“20 Great Ideas.” The technology enables store management to know what
merchandise will be delivered up to 48 hours in advance, allowing for optimal
planning and preparation for getting merchandise off the truck and onto the
sales floor.

That’s some outstanding work to ensure that your mom can get you dressed in style.

Lake Highlands Town Center Delayed

Lake Highlands has a strong sense of being a town all its own. But, as I learned in my former life at People Newspapers, one thing they lack in being entirely self-sufficient is a town square, a place that allows them to do most, if not all, their shopping in the neighborhood.

Neighborhood leaders would tell us that they were most likely to drive over to NorthPark Center, or the Galleria area. So there was a lot of excitement about the new Lake Highlands Town Center when plans were unveiled last year. At that time the first phase was supposed to be done by 2010. Now Prescott is saying it won’t be finished until 2012, because of general economic difficulties.

New York Times Insults J.C. Penney, Its Customers, Its Own Readers, And a Wide Swath of America

Cintra Wilson, a “Critical Shopper” columnist for the Times, had this and much more to say about Penney’s opening a new store in Manhattan:

Why would this dowdy Middle American entity waddle into Midtown in its big old shorts and flip-flops without even bothering to update its ancient Helvetica Light logo, which for anyone who grew up with the company is encrusted with decades of boring, even traumatically parental, associations?

A better question might have been, “Why would a struggling newspaper already regarded as an elitist relic allow a smug, shallow fashionista to display her disdain at the first department store to open in Manhattan in 50 years?” 

Perhaps I’m being sensitive because J. C. Penney is a hometown store. But perhaps not, since executive editor Bill Keller apologized profusely yesterday, but only after public editor Clark Hoyt ran a devastating column on the paper’s own op-ed Sunday blasting Wilson’s piece. Worst of all was Wilson’s mea culpa, as quoted by Hoyt, where she said she thinks of her audience as

1,300 women in Connecticut and urban gay guys in Manhattan

which, she admitted, is “kind of provincial of me.”

Site Links Buyers, Castoff Clothes of TV News Talent

Ever dreamed of wearing one of Mike Snyder’s big double-breasted jackets? How about one of those ties John McCaa likes–the ones with the tiniest knots in the world? Now it might be possible, thanks to a new Web site specializing in second-hand reporter/anchor duds that’s run by Jolene DeVito, a former anchor herself at WFAA and TXCN. Uncle Barky’s got the scoop.

What Luxury Recession? Kitchen Starts at $214,900

The top dogs at Poggenpohl, a fast-growing German maker of luxury kitchen cabinets, really want to meet the Mavs’ Dirk Nowitzki. The execs were in town yesterday to open the new Poggenpohl Kitchen Design Studio, the second–and largest–new kitchen studio the company has opened in Texas this year. (This one’s 5,000 square feet, compared to Houston’s puny 3,800 feet.) And, managing director Elmar Duffner and U.S. president Ted Chappell (in photo, from left) were especially eager to show off their Poggenpohl Porsche Design P’7340, a sleek “kitchen for men” developed in cooperation with the German automaker. The 7340’s price starts at a whopping 150,000 euros–or roughly $214,900. The luxury-segment recession notwithstanding, Duffner and Chappell said they’ve sold five Porsche kitchens in the U.S. so far. And they think German-born Dirk would make an ideal buyer for the sixth.

Leading Off (7/28/09)

1. Texas spends less money per pupil than all but six other states, according to 2007 census data — about $7,800 a year versus a national average of more than $9,600 a year. (Although those figures are disputed.) But, at least we have the largest outstanding debt for education purposes at about $50 billion. (Does my student loan still count toward that?)

2. Speaking of kids, Texas is doing the best job in the nation of reducing the rate of fatal teen car crashes. As the father of a 15-year-old who tells me every day she wants a shiny new pink convertible Volkswagen Beetle, this is good news.

3. If, like me, you’re excited about the new Fairview Macy’s store opening north of Dallas, you’ll be happy to know the company is now being careful to tailor each store’s merchandise to better match the surrounding area’s tastes. Because, as one retailer notes, “the Dallas customer and the Portland customer are very different.” I would suspect, for example, you won’t find T-shirts in Portland with the Fairview city slogan “Keeping It Country.”

Bad News On The Dallas Retail Front, Ctd.

While Dallas is indeed down 21.5%, as the Comptroller reported last week, a large refund from an audit bumped last year’s receipts for Dallas.  Not including last year’s bump, Dallas is down 5.9% — which is still bad but not nearly as bad in comparison to the other major cities in Texas.

Neiman Marcus Holds On To Elegant, Stylish Effin Hat

Same-store sales (my ska band name, btw) down 25 percent in fiscal third quarter. No problem, though. Don’t worry about it. We’re just playing economic rope-a-dope. About to come out swinging aaaaany minute now.

Check Out BridalBuzz, Daily Advice for the Dallas Bride

Pardon the shameless plug, but I’m just pleased to announce that we’ve added a sixth blog to our lineup: BridalBuzz, the daily destination for Dallas wedding advice. Perhaps you’ve visited ShopTalk, where we used to post an item or two about the Dallas wedding scene. But now we’ve got a proper place to house our great advice for Dallas brides. Should you stop by, you’ll notice–as I’m sure you have today on FrontBurner–the new-and-improved top nav and snazzy blog logos. Hats off to Stephen Edmonson for that.

Stanley Korshak Turns to eBay to Move Merch

An energetic FrontBurnervian points us to this Wall Street Journal story about Stanley Korshak’s electronic outpost on eBay. Korshak’s owner, Crawford Brock, says, “[W]e’re not so sure we want people to know necessarily that this is Stanley Korshak.” That’ll be tough to hide now that the WSJ has outed them. Here are the items up for sale on eBay now.

An Open Letter to Matt Moss at N3L Optics

Dear Mr. Matt Moss: Today I received not one, but two FedEx packages from you. Both were sent standard overnight from your Lake Forest, California, location. Each package contained the same promotional materials, informing me of the new N3L Optics store soon to open in NorthPark. Each package contained the same press release, wherein N3L Optics senior VP Kendra Reichenau was quoted as saying, “N3L is committed to educating each customer on the benefits of performance optics.” Each package extolled the greatness of N3L’s “smart mirror” and its “Newton immersive display” and its “custom fit station.”

Here’s the thing, Mr. Moss. And I’m betting you can see where I’m headed with this. I don’t care.

In the future, try the good folks at ShopTalk. Pick one person. Say, Sarah Eveans. Or Stephanie Quadri. But pick just one. And then send the FedEx to her, maybe with a personal note. Just a quick one. “Hey, Steph, I saw that post you put up about Jellies. I used to wear those, too! Check out our sunglasses!” Something like that.

Helpfully, Tim

The Best And The Sleaziest Used Car Dealers In Dallas

David Whitefield is a local personal trainer with a master’s in exercise and sports studies who describes himself as obsessive/compulsive. To buy a used truck, he visited 42 dealerships, looked at hundreds of trucks, and entered into a lot of old-fashioned used-car haggling. Fortunately for the rest of us, he kept notes. Here are his rankings.

GameStop: Selling to the Ladies is Tricky

Did you know women only want to play video games that teach them how to cook and dance? And that they’ll do anything to get their hands on a free subscription to Good Housekeeping? I just learned that myself. Thanks to this GameStop training video on selling to women, I’ve been enlightened. 

I initially thought this video was a fake, but it turns out that the Grapevine-based company’s “Sharpen the Mind, Shape the Body” promotion is the real thing, so who can say? I get that it’s sarcasm, but behind the jokes are a lot of outmoded ideas. Here’s a thought: Hire more women to work in the stores, and let the menfolk learn by example. (H/T: Consumerist)

The Job Offers Are Already Pouring In For W

This one from Elliott’s Hardware. I’m not sure what I would do if I walked into Elliott’s and saw George W. Bush wearing a polyester vest and offering me a shopping cart. Would Colin Powell be in few steps back, admonishing everyone: “You break it, you bought it”?

Texas Lags In Bankruptcies; Well, At Least There’s That

Got this heads up today from the geeks at footnoted.org, who read virtually every SEC filing. Anyway, they found a slideshow presentation from the people at Discovery Card that shows (on page 26) Texas as one of five states in the country where bankruptcies have increased by less than 15%. Looking at the graphic, it appears that the entire West Coast will fall off of the North American continent in a big, nasty bad-credit fireball.

Should This Flag Fly?

Mike Tettleton’s firm, Lone Star Banners and Flags, has designed this banner, which seems to combine the notions of a certain local team and a certain Lone Star state. Mike tells me his Fort Worth firm designed the flag (he calls it the “Silver and Blue Texas Flag”), then intended to take it to the Dallas Cowboys to negotiate a deal with them. He also posted an image of it on his company Web site to gauge public interest. That’s where the Cowboys saw it as well (oops).  Not long after, Tettleton got a call from the Cowboys, asking him to take it down, because they hadn’t given him permission to market the flag. The Silver and Blue Texas Flag has since been pulled from the Web. What do you think, FrontBurnervians? Should this flag be allowed to fly?

UPDATE: For a right-side-up version of the flag, jump here. (more…)

Inauguration Day Mystery: Whodunit?

Somehow, D CEO Editor Glenn Hunter’s John McCain coffee cup (shown left in an archived image) has grown legs and walked off on the same day that Barack Obama is sworn into office. Is something nefarious afoot? I’ve got to admit it’s an odd coincidence. An even better question: Why is someone holding onto a disposable 7-Eleven coffee cup for three months?

More Retro Catalogs: J.C. Penney’s From 1977

A week ago, it was old RadioShack catalogs. Today, I bring you a J.C. Penney catalog from 1977. The blogger who blogged it might have oversold it as “the funniest thing you will ever see,” but it’s still pretty entertaining—especially the “colorful stretch terry coordinates” and the “all-purpose jumpsuit.”

Update: Apparently there’s been some confusion, as several commenters have pointed out. The whole “1977 J.C. Penney catalog on the Internet” is not a new development. I never meant to imply it was. Gizmodo ran it a couple of years ago. And J.C. Penney ran it way back … in 1977. I saw it today and decided to share. Apologies to all whom I’ve offended.

When I Want to See the Future Cowboys Stadium…

I look toward Indianapolis. Why? Because Dallas-based HKS, the firm that designed Indy’s stadium, designed the Cowboys’ stadium. Now comes an article in the New York Times that shows Indy’s Lucas Oil Stadium being used as a showroom for washers and dryers; outside of the stadium is a service station to promote Lucas Oil. Which begs raises the question: What types of retail merchandise will the Cowboys be hawking in Arlington (besides those awesome cheese steak sandwiches and Jason Witten jerseys)? One guess is they’ll be hawking flat-screen TVs. They’ve got an enormous showroom right there on the field, after all.

FrontBurner For Your Ears Launches in 20 Minutes

The show starts at 3 p.m. Won’t you join us? Today’s hosts for the 15-minute recess session will be Tim and Adam. Chat or call in to the show. It’s fun for the whole office!

What Do You Think About Casa Linda Plaza?

AmREIT, the company that owns Casa Linda Plaza, wants to know what you think if you live near the shopping center. Me, I’d like a CVS and an Old Navy and a Dollar General. If that’s not doable, I’ll settle for a decent pub.

ShopTalk Friday Giveaway

If you want to a chance to win this be sure to go here. Every Friday we give away a new beauty (spa gift cards and the latest beauty products) or fashion (accessories and more) item on ShopTalk. While you’re there, be sure to check out the latest news on local sales, shopping, fashion, beauty and more.

Voting: No Sweat at Hexter Elementary, Starbucks and Krispy Kreme

Arrived at Hexter Elementary in Old Lake Highlands at 8:10 a.m. to find about seven people stacked up at the “Names beginning with the letters A through L” table. I’m not sure if the M’s through Z’s are apathetic, but it sure made for an easy vote. About a half hour later, I waited about three minutes in line at the Starbucks at Caruth Haven and Greenville, where I ordered my free “voting” coffee. A few minutes later, there was no wait at all at the Krispy Kreme at Greenville and Lovers Lane, where I received my free “voting” doughnut (I chose the custard-filled chocolate iced variety). Does anyone know where I can get a free ”voting” lunch? Maybe I could milk this for an entire day of free stuff.

VOTING SWAG UPDATE: The Cupcakery is rewarding North Texans who vote in the November 4 presidential election with a free patriotic cupcake for anyone who brings in their “I VOTED” sticker. Visit The Cupcakery at The Shops of Starwood in Frisco located at Lebanon and the Dallas North Tollway between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. on November 4 while quantities last.