Markdown Memories | Filene’s Basement
When the original Filene’s Basement closed in 2007, Boston lost a quirky shopping experience—and a kind of common ground.
By Jenn Johnson|Oct 09 2020|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine KeenanPhoto Credit : Suzanne Kreiter/Boston Globe via Getty Images
Two years ago, a 60-story tablet of glass known as the Millennium Tower officially took its place in the Boston landscape. Topped by a penthouse whose price tag set a city record ($37.5 million), it casts a shadow over many of its Downtown Crossing neighbors—including, right at the base of this luxury tower, the former home of some of the best bargains in New England.
The original Filene’s Basement had operated for nearly a century beneath the Filene’s department store at Washington and Summer streets. Known as the “Tunnel Bargain Basement” when it opened in 1909, the store immediately got people’s attention with its sales model: The merchandise, a mix of discontinued designer lines and overstocks, was automatically marked down the longer it went unsold, with anything remaining after 30 days donated to charity.
This meant that patience, luck, and even a little sneakiness (i.e., trying to hide a great piece of clothing from other shoppers until the next markdown) were key to scoring brag-worthy deals in the Basement. And when the annual bridal gown sale, aka the “Running of the Brides,” began in 1947, the ability to throw an elbow didn’t hurt either.
By 1990, the Basement was Boston’s second most popular tourist attraction, drawing up to 20,000 people a day. Visiting celebrities, local politicians, working-class families—they all dug through the motley bins and racks under dingy fluorescent lights, shoulder to shoulder, right up until the store closed September 3, 2007, for a redevelopment project.
In summing up the Basement’s legacy, it’s hard to top the observation of veteran Globe reporter Joseph Dinneen, writing of the store in its heyday, “The Basement is democratic. The first families of Boston mingle with the last families off the boat, and it is the same way with the merchandise.… There is no caste system of any kind in the Basement—no special distinction or special privilege. Big names among people and in merchandise come and go; but the Basement goes its merry way.”
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Back in the forties when I and my brother were just tads (4&6) my mother hauled us to Filenes Basement where we encountered a singular and terrifying experience. Women jostled, pushed and even fought with one another over merchandise. My brother and I hid under one the counters while members of what we had believed to be the gentler sex fought for possessions over our heads. Obviously, I never forgot that episode nor did my brother. It was our first exposure the the power of untrammeled materialism, a harbinger of things to come.
I grew up 200 miles north of Filene’s Basement and my mother literally dragged me down there every time we went to Boston (fairly often!) To shop and her instructions to me were: “Don’t let go of my hand!!!!!!!!!” And I didn’t!!!!!!!!!! A friend of my mother worked there while her husband attended BU law school and they moved back where I grew up, where they were both from. One trip while I was very young the only thing I wanted from Boston was my own copy (she took me to our public (Carnegie) library often, where she read me from the first edition make way for ducklings, which I am lucky enough to own a first edition of now, which does have some “crayon marks” “administered” by its original owner, which I consider makes it all the more charming…I love kids loving their books because I really loved my books and their toys and dolls) of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, after seeing that movie and crying in the theater when snow white “was put down”. She managed to find one copy of it and a woman standing next to her (waiting impatiently for my mother “to put that book down”) grabbed it out of my mothers’ hand and my mother, naturally, grabbed it out of her hand (talk about “hand to hand combat”!!!!!!!!) And blurted out at the top of her lungs: “that’s all my daughter asked me for on this trip to Boston and I came 200 miles to buy this book for her and I am going to buy it for her”, and she did. One dirty look from my mother was enough to do a person in, too, she was expert at dirty looks!!!!!!! During college I lived fairly close to Boston and shopped there frequently (every time I came to Boston) and lived in the North End of Boston after college, where I walked every Saturday afternoon, to spend the afternoon, there was so much to look at! I believe they were closed on Sunday in those days. I bought my first work clothing there (it looked “very professional”) and was taught by a close friend of my mother, who lived in Newton, MA “how to “hunt for mark downs”” (she had her husband drop her off and park on Hawley St., at the back entrance at 9:30 am when they opened, which was a quick dash down the stairs (she was very good at “hiding mark down merchandise”, too!) And taught me how to read their mark down signs that were all over the basement. Governor Michael S. Dukakis was famous for 2 things: taking the “subway” to and from work at the state house (he lives in Brookline, MA) and shopping in Filene’s Basement, where the salesmen in the men’s department were paid commission to sell a lot of top designer suits. Each salesman had “his own customers”! I bought my husband some really nice things there and a really nice pair of designer shoes that were marked down very significantly. His size was 12n, which meant there were a lot of marked down shoes in his size always! I went down there M-F during my lunch hours when I worked on Newbury St. In Boston and in Park Square in Boston, also. If I couldn’t decide whether I wanted something (if I wanted to spend that amount of money at that time) I stopped in on my way home from work when I lived in the North End. A lot of times the stuff was still there when I decided I wanted to spend that money, but sometimes it wasn’t. That is how I learned my shopping skills to buy it when you see it if you really want it. That has become a life-long lesson learned for me there. I considered “FB” downtown automatic markdowns store to have been heaven on Earth. I know that store had a 99-year lease…”who knew” it would end?
One prerequisite of going to “the Basement” to shop was knowing what to wear to be able to try on clothes discretely. Initially, there were no dressing rooms, and when one was finally available, it was one large room. Oh, the sights you might see there! I lived in Allston during college, and on a day off from classes, some of us would wear our “try on” outfit and take the T into Boston. Here we were, attending college in greater Boston, training to become “professional women” upon graduation, and here we were traipsing intown looking like something that came out of a bad fashion magazine, dressed not to impress, but to be able to try on clothes. Wonderful memories.
I got my wedding dress there for $19.99 at a Bridal Sale in the 70’s it was a designer dress. Learning to shop at Filenes as my mother would say watch that lady and when she puts that down grab it has served me well all my life. There were no private changing rooms and many women tried things on the sales floor. That little ice cream counter in the corner of the basement was pretty good near the pocketbooks.
I was a long-time fine of Filene’s Basement. Thinking about the Basement brings back childhood memories of shopping with my mother, in the 50’s-60’s, at Jordan Marsh (Santa’s Village at Christmas), R.H. Sterns (Oh, the gloves there!), Gilchrist’s, and of course, Woolworth’s. Such memories. Speaking of memories, there is a film about Filene’s Basement. It’s a documentary, made by Michael Bavaro, in 2010. “Voices From the Basement: Told by the people who worked and shopped in Filene’s Basement.” I don’t remember where I got it, may have been offered at my town’s public library as part of an evening’s seminar. I don’t think you can buy the DVD now, but it may be on Youtube. If you can find it, do watch, it’s a wonderful look back in time.
Back in the mid 1950s I was a student at Northeastern University (Accounting major).One of my Coop jobs was as an accountant in the Cash Office on the 7th floor of Filenes department store. One of my assignments was to go down to the basement store with a briefcase to collect the “excess” CASH from each of the cashiers. I would stand at each cashier’s register and count out their bundles of cash. put it in my brief case and walk through to the next cashier and then back up to the 7th floor cash office. Sometimes especially on Saturdays I would end up with over $300 ,000 . The only precaution I took was to ride in the elevator alone. I can tell you now I would no that today.
My Dad worked for Filenes and I loved going to work with him occasionally on Saturdays. The Basement was one of my favorite places. He would take me down and let me find something to buy! I loved wading through all the clothes and things. After college I was living and working in Boston. I always went looking for work clothes in the Basement!!
Ahh! “Fi’s” Basement! My Dad used to find the best shirts there. Hu used to work at Homer’s on Winter Street, and would shop on his lunch break.Remember how it was connected to the T, below ground? When I was in school, you could find some outfit or other for a date…
I began shopping in the Basement when I was 12. I bought my wedding dress, mink coat and countless outfits throughout the years. I miss Filene’s!
I remember Filene’s Basement. My sister bought her wedding gown there. Of course, that was many, many years ago.
My Dad loved telling of a basement experience. Louds cries of “STOP! STOP! You’re killing me” came from a counter selling scarves. A customer accidentally grabbed the scarf another shopper was wearing and almost choked the woman to death!
So, I currently work all over New England & one of the jobs I currently do is located in the old Filenes Basement & it is now VERY nice Roche Brothers Supermarket…. Every time I go there to service our paper products display I find myself daydreaming about the many times my Mother & I with Grandma too would go shopping there….If you get a chance to pop in there, definitely go…. Maybe I live in the past & I know that everything changes with time, however I will NEVER get tired of walking into DTX (Downtown Crossing) & seeing the architecture on the older buildings & wondering just who walked in the same footprint as I am walking & will BE walking this afternoon, because it just so happens that Im in my way there right now….
I started going there in the 50’s with my Nana and mother. We went for school, holiday, vacation clothes. I worked close by in the 1970’s and a week didn’t go by when I didn’t stop in. Got some beautiful Christmas ornaments from Germany and an incredible designer gown for a Christmas party. I did used to hide clothes! Must confess. Loved the entire experience. I so miss that store.
I remember Homer’s. My uncle used to work at Long’s….which I think was Summer St but can’t remember. I used to love the Hosiery shop across from Gilchrest’s – where I usually got my Easter hat and pocketbook.
Every year on our birthday in January we would take the train from Connecticut to shop at Filene basement. We dressed in black tights and a black camisole under our street clothes. We tried on the clothes on the sales floor against a wall but when the door opened behind me I was standing on the loading dock in my underwear to the amusement of several truckers.
So fun reading all about the memories. My Mom would bring me & my siblings into Boston to shop at Filene’s Basement & Jordan Marsh (especially on Dollar Day). She would get in the those bins and turn them all over to find clothing in our current size & the size we would likely wear the next year. We would stand with all the bags as she shopped–“don’t move from this spot” she’d say. My Mom was a wonder as we watched her grab at all the bargains! I learned to be a savvy shopper watching her at Filene’s basement & Jordan Marsh. I continued shopping there as a college student. These are super fond memories for me. I wish the stores were still there!
I loved Filene’s too. I used to go with my nana many years ago in Boston then later on my own with my husband. We moved right downtown to the Devonshire on Washington St.
How convenient for shopping! We’d spend hours on end there and frequent Filene’s almost daily! I also loved Jordan Marsh right there, that’s gone too. My family had a business in the North End as we were Italian immigrants. My uncle had a window treatment store and another uncle had a seafood company. I miss the old days. It’s not the same anymore. Remember the old pizzeria the European in the North End? Fun times.
Only a few times did I go to the Bargain basement, but I loved it even once during a high school trip to the Art Museum, from Groton, CT. three friends of mine dared to take a cab to the store. We only bought knee socks, in 1959 and got back to our school bus in time to get on. A very daring thing for 2 girls and 2 boys to do. We hid our socks and the bag in our pocketbooks. It was in an inside joke of daring adventure. That we only told our closest friends later. I am sure we would have been expelled. I also loved the Forbes and Wallace store in Springfield, MA. I Had my own little metal aluminum charge card with a little leather holder I loved that store and Stigers on the main street downtown. All those shopping trips will never be forgotten. I loved them all especially for the bargains.
I bought my wedding dress there in 1953. Just finished nursing school at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston and had no money. Got the dress which had been used as a model. For $5 a
Yes, I too would go to Filene’s basement during my lunch hour in the 1950’s/ I also liked to shop at Raymond’s “where you bot the hat.”
I spent most of my childhood in Filene’s Basement. From walking a mile to the MBTA bus in Lexington and changing busses at Arlington Heights to the Kenmore Square subway station into Washington Street. Once there, it was always a madhouse, especially on Dollar Days. My reward for not bothering my mother while she dug through the tables of cloths was a hotdog from the little grill in the corners of the store and a Matchbox car.
My grandmother worked in downtown Boston when I was in grade school and she would go to Filene’s on her lunch hour to shop for clothes for me. The prettiest dresses I had were from Filene’s!!!! She passed away in 1962 so that dates me!
I remember many great lunch times heading into the basement to find the ultimate bargains like Brooks Brothers suits and Jack Purcell sneakers
It was like hitting the lottery back then
You had to be lucky to get the right size so it took a lot of visits but worth the experience
Wish life was as simple today
My memories of Filenes.Basement r from the early 70s
I was in college in Worcester and would take the bus to Boston. Oh the beautiful designer clothes that could be gotten!! When I would go to my parents in South Jersey for breaks, my mom was always asking me where did I get the nice clothes as she did not send me a lot of money for clothes. So I explained the concept of Filenes basement. She was horrified!!! She wanted me to pay fI’ll price at expensive deapartment stores, NOT get bargains. It took YEARS to change her mind set. Finally she got into buying from ” consignment” stores but when her friends would ask where did she buy it, she would say ” an exclusive boutique”!!! She was a card!!
I cried when Filenes Basement closed. It was like losing a friend. After 25 years I can still wear my beautiful Spanish made leather shoes. The only drawback was the old return policy back in the late 60’s, the 4ft 9in return lady was like a FBI agent sniffing for perfume and deodorant residue on clothes. Even though I was innocent, I was nervous and looked guilty. Years later, the policy was more consumer friendly. Loved the hot dogs and hot fudge sauce on soft serve ice cream.