Bergdorf Goodman
Bergdorf Goodman Inc. is a luxury department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son, Andrew Goodman.
"Bergdorf" redirects here. For other uses, see Bergdorf (disambiguation).Company type
1899 in New York City, U.S.
Herman Bergdorf
754 5th Ave, New York, NY USA 10019
40°45′48″N 73°58′27″W / 40.7634°N 73.9741°W
2 (both on 700 block 5th Ave, New York City)
- Broadway-Hale Stores (1972–1987)
- Neiman Marcus (since 1987)
Today, Bergdorf Goodman operates from two stores situated across the street from each other at Fifth Avenue between 57th Street and 58th Street. The main store, which opened at its current location in 1928, is located on the west side of Fifth Avenue. A separate men's store, which was established in 1990, is located on the east side of Fifth Avenue, and it is directly across the street from the main store.
Since the early 2010s, Bergdorf Goodman has been a subsidiary of Neiman Marcus, which is owned by the private equity firm Ares Management.[2]
History[edit]
Founding and early history (1899–1951)[edit]
The company traces its origins to 1899 when Herman Bergdorf, an immigrant from Alsace, opened a tailor shop just above Union Square in downtown Manhattan.
Edwin Goodman, a 23-year-old American Jewish[3] merchant, based in Lockport, New York, moved to New York City to work as an apprentice for Bergdorf.[4] Within two years, Goodman had raised enough money to purchase an interest in the business, which was renamed Bergdorf Goodman in 1901. In 1906, Bergdorf Goodman moved to a new location on 32nd Street, just west of Fifth Avenue and "Ladies' Mile". While Bergdorf preferred the less expensive side street location, Goodman prevailed with the new location and bought Bergdorf's interest in the company. Bergdorf would retire to Paris.
Although Goodman had developed a good business as a ladies' tailor on 32nd Street, he decided to move uptown in 1914. He constructed a five-story building at 616 Fifth Avenue, on the site of what is today Rockefeller Center.[5] In 1914, he became the first couturier to introduce ready-to-wear, making Bergdorf Goodman a destination for American and French fashion.
The store moved to its present location at Fifth Avenue and 58th Street in 1928, building its Beaux-Arts style Bergdorf Goodman Building on the site of the Cornelius Vanderbilt II House. Goodman was unsure of the success of the new store's location, as he was uncertain whether customers would follow the store uptown and so designed the new store so that it could be subdivided into sections with storefronts that could be let if needed. Early tenants included Van Cleef & Arpels, the Grande Maison de Blanc and Dobbs the Hatter.[6] During the Great Depression, however, Goodman thrived, buying the entire building. Throughout the 1930s, he purchased the mortgages of the surrounding businesses, eventually acquiring the entire block. During this period, Bergdorf Goodman was successful enough to have merited an expansion beyond the single store. However, Goodman preferred to operate in a single location where he would be able to personally maintain the quality of the merchandise and service.
In media and popular culture[edit]
The store has been the subject of two documentary films: the 2001 film Dita and the Family Business,[12] exploring the store from the point of view of its owners, and the 2013 feature documentary Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's, which features many testimonials from designers and celebrities. In 1953's movie How to Marry a Millionaire, Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable, and Marilyn Monroe consider “the mink department at Bergdorf’s” the ideal location to meet men. Cary Grant sends Doris Day on a shopping spree at the store in the 1962 movie That Touch of Mink. The store has also made several appearances in the cartoon Neo Yokio. The protagonist, Kaz Kaan, and his rival, Arcangelo, both buy their suits from Bergdorf's. Most recently, Bergdorf Goodman was featured in a scene of the film Ocean's 8 in which Sandra Bullock's character steals cosmetics from the store.[13]
The store was prominently featured in the film Arthur in 1981. The store was featured in the Miss Piggy/ Joan Rivers scene of The Muppets Take Manhattan.[14] It was also featured in Sex and the City as a favorite shopping location of central character Carrie Bradshaw. It was particularly featured in the Sex and the City 2 movie.[15] In the television show Parks and Recreation, the character April Ludgate pretends on multiple occasions to be an exaggerated socialite named "Janet Snakehole", whose husband keeps her in "the finest Bergdorf Goodman" clothing. The first time April plays this character within a character, she is mock arrested by another character-in-character, Andy Dwyer pretending to be FBI agent Burt Macklin. Macklin attempts to arrest Snakehole, causing Snakehole to shriek that she never stole the (assumedly Bergdorf Goodman) jewels, her sister did, "but now she's been eaten by wolves!"
In 2019, news journalist E. Jean Carroll alleged that Donald Trump had sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s.[16] Trump was found liable of sexually assaulting her by a jury in 2023, but not liable of raping her.[17] In March 2024, Trump referred to Carroll as "Miss Bergdorf Goodman" in an interview on the CNBC show "Squawk Box",[18] which led to Carroll's attorney threatening a third defamation lawsuit against Trump.[19]