Breman Museum Wants Your Memories of Rich's

This one's for the longtime residents of the Atlanta area.

In the fall of 2013, the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum will unveil a major exhibition on Rich’s, the much-loved department store that dominated Atlanta retail shopping into the 1990s.

See pictures and more on Rich's in this brief video here.

The museum, located at 1440 Spring St. across from the Center For Puppetry Arts, has collected many artifacts, but also wants to hear from people to whom Rich's was important. The museum says,

To encourage community participation in the exhibition, the Breman will host several focus groups for longtime employees and customers. If you would like to support the museum or exhibition, contribute artifacts, or share a story, contact the museum by email at richs@thebreman.org .

The Breman reminds people of what Rich's once meant.

The Pink Pig. Fashionata. The Magnolia Room. The Great Tree. Legendary Customer Service. All of these terms evoke Atlanta’s most beloved department store. Founded M. Rich Dry Goods in 1867, Rich’s grew into one of the most influential institutions in Atlanta’s history before it was finally absorbed into Macy’s on March 6, 2005. The Rich’s story illustrates Atlanta’s and the South’s commercial, political, cultural, and architectural development, evidenced by a 1949 Saturday Evening Post article entitled “The Store that Married a City.”

In August, The Breman hosted a book launch event featuring "Rich’s A Southern Institution" by author Jeff Clemons, where coconut cake like the kind once found at Rich’s was served. Can’t you taste it?