On this date in 1872 Bloomingdale's Department store in New York opened. 10 facts about Bloomingdale’s:
Bloomingdale’s was founded by brothers Joseph and Lyman Bloomingdale.
The first shop the family opened was a few years earlier in 1861. This shop was the Ladies' Notions Shop in New York's Lower East Side, which sold European fashions, in particular, hoop skirts.
The shop they opened on this date in 1872 was called Bloomingdale's Great East Side Bazaar and it was located at 965 Third Avenue, between 56th & 57th Streets. At the time, this wasn’t part of New York’s main shopping district and was a working class area, so it was a bit of a risk. The first day’s takings were $3.68.
It paid off, though and soon the Bazaar expanded into three nearby buildings and in due course moved into a building at 59th St. and Third Avenue, which is the flagship store to this day.
It was different from most boutiques at the time, because it didn’t specialise in just one type of clothing as the others did, but sold everything under one roof. Bloomingdale’s was a pioneer in window displays which attracted the attention of passers by. It was also the first store in New York to install Escalators. This attracted customers who came to gawp at this new-fangled way of getting to the upper floors, and who hopefully bought stuff while they were there.
One of its most famous customers was Queen Elizabeth II, who spent an afternoon there with Prince Philip in 1976.
There are two time capsules in the cornerstones which are due to be opened in 2130. They are said to contain an autographed baseball from Babe Ruth, and three bank books in which $25 had been deposited, which could be worth millions by now.
From 1979, there was a restaurant within the store called Le Train Bleu, which was modelled on the dining car of a French luxury train. It is now closed, as is the sky bridge between 59th and 60th street, one of the last remaining examples of this type of Bridge in Manhattan.
In 1984, Bloomingdale’s sold bags of ice chips from a 100,000 year old glacier in Greenland. “Glazonice” would set you back $7 a bag. The ice was marketed as the oldest and purest you could find anywhere on Earth. It was also said that because of the denseness, it would not dilute your cocktail.
Each morning, New York New York by Frank Sinatra plays as the doors open. This is the only music the store ever plays.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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