Aug. 7, 2026 5:30 AM PT To the editor: Thank you Shelby Grad for a walk down memory lane (“These retail temples once defined the L.A. class divide. Are we better off without them?,” July 24). I grew up in Los Angeles and remember going on the bus for the big month-end sales. We could afford things that were on sale. It was exciting to wait until they opened the doors to see what treasures we could find.My aunt would take me to Bullocks Wilshire as a special treat. I remember lunch there with everyone dressed up and the fashion show.In this time of nothing but bad news, this article was much needed.Joan Andersen, Apple Valley..To the editor: I was a buyer for Bullocks Wilshire for five years in the late ‘70s, purchasing ladies’ accessories for its five stores. During a trip to New York, a vendor showed me items closed with Velcro, but I thought the sound wouldn’t appeal to the Bullocks Wilshire lady! It’s great to see the law school’s careful restoration of the building, a cherished historical site in Los Angeles that I’ve had the privilege of visiting.Thanks for the nice article. It’s interesting to look back at when we had all those amazing shopping experience possibilities.Judi Jensen, Los Angeles..To the editor: My mother was similar to her grandmother in that we were strictly a Sears or a JCPenney family, but the department stores were fun places to pretend we lived on the other side of the tracks.I have a really distinct memory of my mom entering a May Company department store tea salon competition for Mother’s Day. The competition tasked the children competitors with writing a poem about his or her mother, and the employees would judge it. The winner would be treated to tea with the wife of the then-mayor, Tom Bradley. My mom wrote her own poem and attributed it to me, and it won! And not only did she cheat to win, but she got her daughter-in-law invited to the tea as well as me.Here’s the poem: “My mother is nifty and thrifty and deserves a good gifty!” I wish I had written that. Good memories.Randy Farhi, Los Angeles..To the editor: I enjoyed Grad’s memories of visiting upscale department stores with his grandmother to “see how the other half lives.”When I was growing up in San Bernardino in the 1960s, my family would drive over to the nearby town of Redlands for exactly the same reason. We admired the blocks of carefully maintained Victorian houses and window-shopped in fancy clothing stores. And we did it without envy or resentment — we knew that we had a comfortable middle-class life, and we didn’t mind that others had slightly better lives. And besides, we knew that we might get there someday!Nowadays, most Americans don’t have a comfortable life and don’t think it will improve. There should be even more resentment than exists.By the way, I’ve now lived in Redlands for 20 years.Carolyn Gill, Redlands..To the editor: Grad inexplicably fails to mention the iconic Saks Fifth Avenue department store, which opened in Los Angeles in 1938. It should certainly rank as preeminent in the hierarchy of retail establishments that define class.Moreover, the building was a collaborative effort of three major L.A. architects and is widely seen as a historic landmark for its architectural significance and cultural heritage.Giuseppe Mirelli, Los Angeles
