Bergdorf Goodman's Linda Fargo on Bringing Glamour to Retail

Summary

The Chairish Podcast: Episode Summary

Title: Bergdorf Goodman's Linda Fargo on Bringing Glamour to Retail
Host: Michael Boudreau
Guest: Linda Fargo, Senior Vice President of Fashion and Store Presentation Director at Bergdorf Goodman
Release Date: January 10, 2024

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Introduction

In this episode of The Chairish Podcast, host Michael Boudreau welcomes Linda Fargo, a prominent figure at Bergdorf Goodman. Linda's role as Senior Vice President of Fashion and Store Presentation Director has been instrumental in maintaining the store’s esteemed reputation amidst the rapidly evolving retail landscape.

Linda Fargo's Journey to Bergdorf Goodman

Linda opens up about her humble beginnings and her passion for the arts, which led her from the Midwest to the bustling streets of New York City.

"I arrived, as I said, with one little suitcase, really not knowing anybody. But I was determined to work in visual in some way." [02:00]

Her career began at Macy’s, where she quickly rose to the position of window director at a young age, managing the challenging task of creating visually appealing displays on a limited budget.

"I ended up becoming their window director, which was a great honor. I was still very young." [03:25]

After a stint on the West Coast, Linda returned to New York, driven by her love for the city and her desire to be part of its dynamic fashion scene. Her proactive approach, including sending a blind letter and portfolio to Dawn Mello, secured her position at Bergdorf Goodman.

"I sent a blind letter to Dawn Mello... and before you know it, I was hired here." [05:08]

The Unique Structure of Bergdorf Goodman

Linda discusses the distinctive single-store model of Bergdorf Goodman, which fosters a collaborative and versatile environment. Unlike larger retail chains with siloed departments, Bergdorf allows for fluid roles and creative synergy.

"It’s very unique, as you mentioned, to be a one store... we have a lot of talent focused on this one store." [06:48]

This structure enables Linda to seamlessly transition between visual presentation and fashion, emphasizing the interconnected nature of aesthetics and merchandise.

Integrating Art into Retail

A significant focus of the conversation is Bergdorf Goodman’s integration of art within the retail space. Linda explains how art and fashion coexist harmoniously in the store, creating a rich, immersive environment that celebrates creativity and craftsmanship.

"Art has always been kind of an artery of Bergdorf Goodman." [08:07]

The upcoming Cherish Art Gallery exhibit exemplifies this blend, offering customers an art-inclusive shopping experience that is both approachable and engaging.

"We kind of dipped our toe into showcasing art, and it's become quite a fabulous big snowball." [09:30]

Revamping the Store’s Aesthetic

Linda shares insights into the meticulous process of revamping Bergdorf Goodman's main floor and jewelry salons. Balancing historical continuity with modern innovation was pivotal in maintaining the store’s iconic status.

"We distilled our main floor into its most important iconic elements... we became a soft gray main floor." [10:52]

This redesign, which incorporates classic French architecture with contemporary elements, has been lauded for its elegance and lasting appeal.

"We became a soft gray main floor. And I think it holds up, right?" [13:56]

Creating Unique Customer Experiences

Michael highlights how Bergdorf Goodman remains a standout in the competitive retail landscape through its unique and experiential shopping environment. Linda attributes this success to the store’s relentless pursuit of exclusivity and creativity.

"We stretch ourselves to always find things which are unique and exclusive to us." [25:25]

This strategy ensures that Bergdorf offers something special that cannot be replicated online, enhancing the in-store experience.

Linda’s Influence and Personal Touch

Linda discusses her role as a style influencer through initiatives like "Linda’s Closet," a curated boutique within Bergdorf Goodman. This platform allows her to showcase her personal taste and passion for diverse design eras.

"The genesis of Linda's Closet... I wanted things that had personality." [17:50]

Linda emphasizes the importance of selecting items she truly loves, fostering an environment where quality and uniqueness take precedence over trends.

Adapting to Changing Demographics

Addressing the evolution of Bergdorf Goodman’s clientele, Linda explains how the store has naturally adapted to reach younger and more diverse demographics through the internet and social media.

"The Internet and the rise of social media has very organically helped to speak and reach out to new demographics." [20:47]

This organic adaptation has allowed Bergdorf Goodman to stay relevant and appealing to a broader audience without compromising its core values.

Future of Retail and Maintaining Relevance

Linda reflects on the volatile global landscape and the necessity for Bergdorf Goodman to remain agile and continuously innovative. She underscores the importance of creativity and exceptional design in maintaining the store’s allure.

"It’s even more important for us to up our ante creatively." [29:27]

Linda expresses confidence that Bergdorf Goodman’s commitment to unique and high-quality experiences will ensure its continued success.

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with Michael praising Bergdorf Goodman’s ability to consistently dazzle customers through thoughtful and unique presentations. Linda reaffirms the store’s dedication to creativity and excellence, inviting listeners to experience the upcoming Cherish Art Gallery exhibit.

"I think all that razzle dazzle and those thousands of sparkling little pieces of glass... resonate." [28:00]

Listeners are encouraged to visit the Cherish Art Gallery at Bergdorf Goodman to witness firsthand the fusion of art and luxury retail.

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Key Quotes:

• Linda Fargo: "I arrived, as I said, with one little suitcase, really not knowing anybody. But I was determined to work in visual in some way." [02:00]
• Linda Fargo: "We become a soft gray main floor. And I think it holds up, right?" [13:56]
• Linda Fargo: "We stretch ourselves to always find things which are unique and exclusive to us." [25:25]
• Linda Fargo: "It’s even more important for us to up our ante creatively." [29:27]

This comprehensive summary captures all the essential discussions, insights, and conclusions from the podcast episode, providing a clear and engaging overview for those who haven't listened.

Transcript

[Michael Boudreau]

This is the Cherish podcast and I'm your host, Michael Boudreau. I'll be taking you for an inside look behind the glamorous facade of the interior design industry at a time when every aspect of the business, from sourcing to trends to marketing to dealing with clients, is undergoing rapid change. Linda Fargo is one of New York City's most fashionable women and one of the most influential, which is not surprising since as senior vice president of fashion and store presentation director at the legendary Bergdorf Goodman, she has the inside scoop on what's new, what's coming next, and what's of lasting value. She is responsible not only for what is sold in Manhattan's iconic specialty store, but also how it all looks, from its famed window displays to her super luke renovation of the ground floor jewelry salons. And she always has changes underway, keeping the store fresh, exciting, and unexpected. As Bergdorf unveils his second iteration of the Cherish Art Gallery on the store's seventh floor home store, she joins me to talk about her legendary career, what's ahead for fashion and retailing, how she scopes out new talent, and why Cherish and Bergdorf Goodman are ideal collaborators. Welcome, Linda.

[Linda Fargo]

Thank you for having me, Michael. I'm excited to be here. Really.

[Michael Boudreau]

I am so happy you're here. You know, I wanted to talk to you a little about your background first because, you know, you're at a pinnacle, but nobody gets there, you know, in one fell swoop. It's never that easy. So how did you get started? Because one of the also fascinating things I think is amazing about your career is that you really started in visual presentation.

[Linda Fargo]

That's right, Michael. I think I'm one of those classic New York stories. I'm that girl who arrived from the Midwest very inauspiciously with one little suitcase. And it's completely true. And I came from the Midwest and I had always been a fine arts person. And I gravitated, like many people in the arts do, to New York City. And it was just very clear to me, it was a bit of a, you know, in your life, those things that are crystal clear. And for me, coming to New York was that. So I arrived, as I said, with a little suitcase, really not knowing anybody. But I was determined to work in visual in some way. And I didn't think I had really the wherewithal to actually be an artist. So I wanted to work in the applied arts. And I came upon an old resume that I had come up with when I was sitting in my living room in the Midwest. And what I wrote as my mission, if you will, was if you hired me, I would lend you my I.

[Michael Boudreau]

Ah, so you knew your value already, even as a high school student.

[Linda Fargo]

Well, I knew that that was the one thing I had, as you said, that I could bring to people. So that was my mission. And I ended up getting my very first job at Macy's, which was really a incredible, incredible experience because it was a kind of microcosm of New York all in one giant building. And I became their window director at quite a young age. It was pretty daunting, as we all know how gargantuan that building is.

[Michael Boudreau]

It's a big machine. Macy's. I worked there for a. You know, so I know.

[Linda Fargo]

No, a lot of people kind of cut their teeth there. And I considered it almost like grad school. It was a very, very rigorous and intense and challenging and fabulous experience. The visual department was huge. It was 60, 70 people, as I said. I ended up becoming their window director, which was a great honor. I was still very young. I was barely 25. And we changed their front windows every.

[Michael Boudreau]

Wow.

[Linda Fargo]

Every week in a union store with very small budgets.

[Michael Boudreau]

Wow.

[Linda Fargo]

And I bring that up because to survive, you very often have to be incredibly resourceful, but never ever letting go of artistic reach. So I didn't want to ever tell the higher ups, but I actually could do windows. If I could only shop at Woolworths for props, I probably could have done it.

[Michael Boudreau]

Ingenuity, not dollars, right?

[Linda Fargo]

It is, it is. And my background as a fine artist had been in found objects and repurposing. And to this day, that's something, especially if you're a window person, to be able to take almost any kind of material and turn it into something which has another value. So that's a little bit of a foundational thing to tell you about myself. And after that, let's see, Macy's. That was quite a long time. And then I did a detour out to the West Coast. I went out to Imagnan in San Francisco, which was for people who. It's no longer here. Maya Magnum closed years ago, but it was a bit of the West Coast. Bergdorf Goodman, Right.

[Michael Boudreau]

It was very high end and very luxury, I remember.

[Linda Fargo]

Yeah, very high end, very beautiful. It was in a 1930s building on Union Square, was gorgeous. And the Beverly Hills stores were great, too. But I have to say what I found is that I miss New York terribly. Sometimes you have to leave home to know that you need to come home.

[Michael Boudreau]

To realize that New York is your Real home.

[Linda Fargo]

Yep. I had really made New York my home by then. It had always spoken somewhere to my soul. So I needed to come back. And I sent a blind letter to Dawn Mello, who I'm sure a lot of people who know. Also legendary, also a legendary woman and really somebody who she absolutely had an antenna for talent. She's of course, all her work at Bergdorf, but she's famous also for having hired Tom Ford Taguchi. So I did a bit of a cold call with dawn and I created a portfolio of ideas and dropped it in the big mailbox and sent it off. And before you know it, I was hired here. So. And I've worn a lot of different hats in my time here now.

[Michael Boudreau]

Yeah, that's one of the things I wanted to ask you about because, you know, I think a lot of retail stores, especially the big multi branch stores, things are sort of siloed. You do visual display, you do fashion, you do men's, you do whatever. But it seems like Bergdorf's is not that way. I'm fascinated that you were able to transfer. Not that you weren't always stylish and elegant and beautiful, but that you were able to transfer. Well, not even transfer, but to sort of take on fashion as well because you've never given up the visual presentation. So is that something that's unique to Bergdorf and the fact that it's a single store, do you think?

[Linda Fargo]

I do think so. I think it's very unique, as you mentioned, to be a one store and we have a lot of talent focused on this one store now, you know, we're part of Neiman Marcus. But, you know, it's a very unique store and I feel very fortunate. Very, pinch me fortunate. I have worked for. I've worked for really fantastic presidents in my tenure here, and each of them kind of sees something in you. And so the fashion office opportunity was offered to me by one of our former presidents. I'm really not quite sure why he saw that in me, but because I had been doing as you know, all visual, but I had also gravitated into store design. So at that time, when I moved into also absorbing the fashion office, I had been also running store design for Bergdorfs. So again, Michael, I think it all ends up kind of going back to that eye, you know, just kind of the applied eye.

[Michael Boudreau]

One of the things that's always impressed me about Bergdorfs and I wonder how intentional this is because as you said, started your training as an artist and your visual, you know, it's not only the most fashionable store in New York City, it's also the most artistic. And is that something that you really are conscious of, or is it just. Does it come out of your background and your sensibility?

[Linda Fargo]

Oh, I've been thinking about this, and I knew we were gonna talk about this today. And I think one of the reasons there's such a great synergy between the arts and this fashion heaven here is that they both really. Both fashion and artistry and craftsmanship all celebrate creativity. So it's a very natural, synergistic thing. And art has always been kind of an artery, no pun intended, of Bergdorf Goodman. And we're very conscious of when we are rebuilding and reworking the floor plan of any given area. We always dedicate space for art that may come. We leave white spaces because we know that we need to physically hang it, make, let it live alongside the fashion, obviously, in the windows. We've had many, many collaborations with artists. And as you know, I mean, here we are, we're just getting ready to open our next exhibit with Cherish, which is gonna be focused on artwork. We kind of dipped our toe into showcasing art, and it's become quite a fabulous big snowball. Our clients love it. I think it's maybe a little less intimidating, I think, than perhaps going in a gallery. There's something kind of a place approachable and friendly and maybe playful.

[Michael Boudreau]

Yeah, yeah.

[Linda Fargo]

Art is our friend.

[Michael Boudreau]

And I think it's endemic to your approach. I mean, your windows, your Christmas windows, which were just up and always get so much attention. You know, a lot of stories will do of the twelve days of Christmas or going to grandma's house or whatever, and you come up with themes and dazzle, and it's just, you know, you think outside the box. And to me, that's what Bergar's is, really unique in that sense. And you just always are full of surprises. And I'd love to get a sense from you how much thought goes into that, because also, it's a legendary story. You know, it's been the subject of novels and memoirs and Barbra Streisand's TV special when she was starting out, filmed at Bergdorf's. You know, it's always been this iconic thing, so. And I remember, I think one of the first times after you started that you got a lot of attention was when you dared to redo the ground floor and the jewelry salons and all of that. And I was wondering how apprehensive you were about that, because it is such a legendary store. And your approach. And quite frankly, I think what you did was so amazing and made the store even more beautiful, which I wasn't sure was possible, and more enveloping, more luxe and cosseting. And it just was so impressive to me what you did when you revamped that. But how worried were you when you tackled that? Because it was so obvious. It was right on the ground floor.

[Linda Fargo]

Very. Yeah, very. You know, Bergdorf's. We're worried for a lot of the reasons you talked about. I mean, it was very important to us to have a continuity with our history. We were never going to all of a sudden become a modern white box. So we kind of distilled our main floor into kind of its most important iconic elements. And some of it was the plaster work, of course, the chandeliers. Now, truth be told, we changed all but one of the chandeliers and just replaced them with something that we thought was better. And it didn't matter. The point was that it needed to be a chandelier. So we were quite surgical about it. And it was very challenging because in a way, Michael, I always feel that Bergdorf's, while it's our story, it really doesn't belong to us. It belongs to New York. We are very much, I think, a part of the fabric and the history of this city. I hate to say it. It's almost like the Met Museum. This is a very iconic stop for people to make. It's a neighborhood store in many ways. I'd say our core clients are our neighborhood. But it's also a very important stop for anyone visiting. So you're right. We were very nervous to even touch the main floor of the store, much less. We moved product categories all over the place. And to come up with a design which would maybe take us another 25 years, it couldn't look trendy. It had to have a gravitas and a level of innovation at the same time. I mean, all these things sound very easy in the rear view mirror. But, yes, we were nervous about it.

[Michael Boudreau]

And it wasn't cheap. I mean, you spent a lot of money. I mean, comparatively, it is so luxurious.

[Linda Fargo]

Well, I couldn't say. But, you know, it had to be lasting. It had to be lasting. I mean, I'm very proud of it. I mean, we did things like where, and I'd love people to take a look at this now that if they've ever hear us talking about it. Even our case line, the metalwork on the caseline, was all, like, a handcrafted look. So we kind of did this contrast between, if you will, kind of classic French architecture, a little bit of 30s, a little bit of almost brutalist metalwork, which we thought had a really good push and pull with the architecture. And then I think our biggest sweeping move. And I know that, you know you have a huge designer following and I know that every designer approaches jobs differently, but we had always been kind of an ivory store. So our most sweeping change was we moved into this very beautiful shades of gray, these pearl grays, which I thought was a very elegant color. And I'm sorry, I'm carrying on about all this.

[Michael Boudreau]

This is fascinating.

[Linda Fargo]

You touched on a topic that we put a lot of thought and heart and design soul into it. And anyways, so we became a soft gray main floor. And I think it holds up, right?

[Michael Boudreau]

It does hold up. I was in there recently, before the Christmas windows opened, I was in there and it just still looks as dazzling. And you know, the cast glass moldings that you have, it's just so dazzling. But it's not dazzling in an off putting way. It's dazzling in a very welcoming come into our world way, which I think is very hard to achieve because a lot of glamour can be hard edged and you avoided that and I think that's really impressive.

[Linda Fargo]

There's a large center room right by where the elevators are, where we have the big. It's almost like an Eileen Gray screen made out of cast glass. And one of our favorite artists that we call upon quite frequently, Malcolm, made a fabulous almost cubist mural frieze actually around the whole upper three feet of the ceiling. So again, I'm just gonna bring the conversation back to how we collaborate with artists.

[Michael Boudreau]

Right.

[Ana Brockway]

Hi everybody. Thanks for tuning in. I hope you're enjoying our podcast. My name is Ana Brockway and I'm the co founder and president of Cherish. If you're a designer who's struggling with long lead times from suppliers and increasingly impatient clients, now is the time to shop with us. Our vintage antique and one of a kind inventory is ready to ship right now. To learn more, visit cherish.com that's C-H-A-I-R-H.com and now back to the show.

[Michael Boudreau]

As you well know, I think everybody knows retail has changed. I mean, Bergdorf has a very good website and you sell a lot of stuff on the website, I'm sure. But I think, you know, a lot of brick and mortar stores have been challenged and Neiman Marcus has had some setbacks as well as we know. But you have remained steady through it. And I think part of it is because you make the store so special that it cannot be replicated. I'm not saying people don't see something in the store or buy it online or buy something and then come into the store. They're mutually beneficial. I get that. But I think that the experiential aspect of going to Burgdorf's and seeing what's new and seeing what's old, that it's been up there for 15 years but you still love it, I think is so important. And I'd love to know how you think about retaining the classical elements but keeping like certain floors or certain areas different. The men's store, whatever it might be, the home store, which I know goes through periodic revamps to keep it fresh. How much planning goes into that? And when do you start thinking, thinking about changes that you want to make?

[Linda Fargo]

Well, we are changing all the time. Even though this feels a little bit like almost like a specialty boutique, it's really not. You know, we have eight selling floors in the women's building and we have three selling floors in the men's building. It's quite large. So there's always something changing somewhere in the building. And so listen, we're in the business of change. We're in fashion. Fashion, by its very nature, is about change. And we love it. I mean, listen, it keeps us young. By the time I think that myself, with a very small team, I work with Fabulous 2 Women, Susan Homan, Mika Raja, we work on all the store design and we probably in 20 plus years have renovated or touched, I would say, 90% of the building. So now we're starting again, you know, now we're touching things for the second and third time. So change is a constant.

[Michael Boudreau]

And one of the things that has changed for you, I think, is that you have become such a style influencer. And I'm just not talking about social media. I mean, now you have your own little boutique within Burt's Linda's Closet. And your prominence and status, I think, has increased so much. I mean, when you do visual display, you're kind of a behind the scenes person. You're no longer behind the scenes person. So how does that feel? I mean, is that a pressure on you?

[Linda Fargo]

Oh, it's not really a pressure. It's a pleasure to kind of get recognized for something that you do naturally. I think both in fashion as well as in design. I don't have a single. You couldn't look at me and say, oh, she's a modernist. Oh, she's Kind of old world. I think I span a lot of eras. I love them all. They all had something. Each design movement had something great about it. Fashion's different eras. I love all that. And I walk it and I talk it. I kind of wear it all depending on how I'm feeling. And the genesis of Linda's closet really started with what my former president said to me. Josh Shulman said, linda, you know, everywhere we go, people kind of are asking you often what you're wearing. He said, why don't we. If I gave you a corner in the store, what would you put in it? I was like, what would I put in it? I said, oh. I said, just let me show you. And anyway, so that was the beginning of Linda's. That was, I think, about six, seven years ago. And I realized that the one thing that was my barometer for whether something made it in or not was whether I loved it. Because I like a lot of things, but do I really, like, love it? And I wanted things that had personality. I wanted to be very open minded about price. I wanted to look at something. I also do this, for example, when I'm cruising around on Cherish. I want to look at an object or something first, whether it's aesthetically talking to you. And then I'll look at the price tag. Because, you know, something has to kind of begin with love. And sometimes you have a very happy surprise, and sometimes you're a little bit disappointed because that's for your other life. Yeah. So I'm very open. I love the mix of range of prices. It's not about any one designer. It's also an incredible petri dish. We start very often, there might be a brand we're looking at. And we go, well, I think there's a there there. But when we pick up a brand, we don't pick up two or three pieces. It would just become kind of chop suey in the store. If we did something like that, we had to kind of pick up a collection. And sometimes the brands just aren't quite ready for that, but they have the glimmer of something. So it becomes, like I said, a petri dish. And very often it grows, and then it kind of sometimes grows up and it moves out onto one of the floors.

[Michael Boudreau]

So that's terrific. That leads me to another question. How do you think the Burgdorf shopper has changed over the past, say, 15 years or so? I mean, the store has its august reputation, but I know that you also have tons of young shoppers that you sort of Reach out to young shoppers. And how does that work? And how do you think that the like, as you said, it is a neighborhood store, but it's also an international store. So how do you cater to the changing demographics of your customer?

[Linda Fargo]

Well, I think again, Michael, I think it's rather natural. Has been a natural evolution as the Internet. You know, Neiman's and Bergdorf's has kind of been in the Internet game probably longer than most of the other stores. So we've had that advantage. So the Internet and the rise of social media has again, very organically helped to speak and reach out to new demographics of people. So again, I can't say that it was part of a grand strategy. I think we, along with the rest of the world, we just started to adapt. And with that comes new audiences. And it's kind of one of the really wonderful benefits of this new world.

[Michael Boudreau]

Right. And how involved are you with Bird Door social media feeds? I'm sure you have people who do that. I don't think you're there at midnight typing in Instagram feed.

[Linda Fargo]

No, it's not my zone. I do have. I have one for Linda's, but honestly, I mean, I think, you know, when you've been part of the family of a store as long as I have, which is 25 plus years, I feel like I am an emissary and a brand ambassador in my life. There's not a hard line between my private and my work life. So even my own personal feed, I'm always very sensitive about how that might even reflect on my company.

[Michael Boudreau]

Right, absolutely. So I want to get back to the Cherish Art Gallery, which is one reason we're so lucky to have you with us today. This is the second iteration and it opens on January 11th and it's going to be up through April 8th. And to me, you know, having seen it last year and having a preview of what's in it this year, to me it's kind of emblematic of the way Burgdorf operates in the sense that, well, a, it's a collaboration with somebody interesting or company that's very interesting and on the cutting edge. But also it's gonna be very experiential. I mean, you did not, like you say, create a place with white walls and hang a lot of artwork. This is all art that's exclusive to the store. So you have to come into the store to see it. But it's also something like little experiences, you know, I mean, it's like there's one's like a library One's like a mod hipster boho hotel. One area's kind of like, my favorite is probably they're calling it Daffy Delft, which is mostly blue and white. And to me, I think that that is why makes it so much fun and so interesting. But it also allows people to see art, which, as you mentioned before, can be intimidating when you go to a white walled gallery with a snooty person in the front desk, much more approachable. So, you know, I know we did it last year, but why did you want to continue it? And why do you think this is so appropriate for Bergdorf?

[Linda Fargo]

Yeah, it's a natural. It's such a natural. It's almost like the first time we did it was like, well, why didn't we think of this before? And to your point, Michael, I think because it's not hanging on grand, tall, expansive white walls and a kind of a very open gallery. It's almost hung as if it's in a home. And it's a little bit messy and we have cool chairs standing around and other objects and it's a little cluttery. And it makes it, like you said, less pristine and more approachable, more playful. I mean, that's kind of a word I want to remind myself. I mean, I feel like that when we're selecting fashion and when. What do I want people to feel like when they're in Bergdorp's? I mean, I would like people to have some friends, fun with this experience of shopping and I think their interactions with this. We have a very, very warm and inviting sales force. I think that's also a very differentiating aspect of Bergdorf's is how you feel when you're here. We have very longstanding relationships and all of that kind of nets into being almost as if you're in a home.

[Michael Boudreau]

But what also interests me is it really amazes me time after time when I go into the store is there are things that you don't see anywhere else. And this is certainly true of Cherish Art Gallery. All these Artworks from the $301 up to the $15,000 painting, they're only gonna be available at Bergdorf. So how important is that to you that you know, because a lot of stores you go and you see the same brands, you see the same designers, the same items, and it's fine. Cause you can know where to go to get them, but they don't really intrigue you, dazzle you, whatever. So how do you think about that in terms of your other collaborations? Designers, you Work with. Do you have rules?

[Linda Fargo]

All right, read my lips. How important is having things? How important is it to have things which are unique to Bergdorf Goodman's very V E R Y very. You are right, Michael, that the world has gotten a little flat in terms of product as seen. You can be up at 2 in the morning, scrolling around and you can buy it from one website or another. You can be in Tokyo, you can be in Paris, you can be all kinds of places in the world and find similar product. So we have to stretch ourselves to always find things which are unique and exclusive to us. And it's yet another reason why doing something like a collaboration with Cherish, where we're going to be showcasing all these very unique pieces of art, is right up our alley.

[Michael Boudreau]

And many of the artists, some of them I've met, you know, people think of artists as in some lonely studio somewhere. These artists are out in the world, they're young, they're fashionable, their lives are sort of the Bergdorf ethos, I think. And it kind of, it's just kind of funny because when you see the artwork, you don't necessarily know who or what the artists look like or how they live. But the few that I've met, I'm thinking, oh, this Bergdorf person, you know, man or woman. And it's funny how it all ties together that way.

[Linda Fargo]

It's true, it's true. Listen, it's a big family. Well, I was kind of astounded as we were working on our holiday windows pretty much all year long. The amount of artists and artisans from the whole New York area that we engage is kind of mind boggling. And the amount of handcraft, again, I feel like our conversation kind of keeps coming back to this, this like how the hand and the eye and artistry and creativity and the idea of finding things in the world which are unique. I mean, what does it say about our lives? These are the things that are special. This is what luxury can mean. It can mean something which is relatively rare.

[Michael Boudreau]

Right. And I don't know if you face this personally, but I think certainly in the larger world a lot of luxury and retail is becoming corporatized. You know, big companies own it. And I don't think it's probably the easiest thing to convince all these finance guys that uniqueness and dazzle and the kind of unexpected is worth the investment. Has that ever been an issue for you in your career? I wouldn't think so much of Bergdorf, but it is, you know, it's owned by Neiman Marcus and It's very hard to quantify those elements, but I think if you lose them, you're dead.

[Linda Fargo]

Yeah, no, completely. I mean, you know, listen, it's a business, you know, we still have to be, you know, fiscally responsible, fiscally resourceful. We go through periods where budgets are tighter. But a little bit, like I said to you in the beginning of our conversation when I had to be a very resourceful window director, our holy grail is still about doing things which feel exceptional and no matter the conditions. And by the way, we all just have come out of a pandemic. We still strive to make the experience and look and feel kind of unique and unexpected. And you call it a little bit dazzling, something that you're saying, how do we quantify that? But I think it kind of speaks for itself. Knock on wood. We're still here and our investors and our board believe in us and support. And so I think that all that razzle dazzle and those thousands of sparkling little pieces of glass that got glued into the windows by hand resonate. I think they do.

[Michael Boudreau]

I would totally agree. Now, one last question. Do you see the store, I mean, your constant evolution and changes and keep it fresh. But do you think that bird dwarfs and retail in general has stabilized after the Internet revolution? Do you think that you'll be able to continue on much the way you have been, or do you see bigger changes coming ahead?

[Linda Fargo]

Well, I don't know. I wish I had that crystal ball. I mean, life has felt particularly volatile across the world for, I don't know, feels like at least five years now. I think all of us have to stay very agile and very alert, very responsive, very sensitive. But I do know that underneath it all from my role in the company is if there's one thing that we can do to help differentiate Bergdorfs and make it continue to keep it a special place, is that even in down times, it's even more important for us to up our ante creatively. You can't underestimate the nourishment and the uplift that people get from good design and creativity and craft and artistry. So we've got lots to do.

[Michael Boudreau]

I totally agree. And I think it's so interesting how people respond. Sometimes it's subliminally they don't even realize, but they do respond to the care and attention and love and thought that goes into anything. And I think, as you were saying, the amount that goes into every floor of Bergdorf Goodman, every store window is really astounding. And to use my favorite adjective, you continue to dazzle us, Linda, and I think it's so impressive. And I think I want to encourage everyone to go to the Cherish Art gallery on Bergdorf's seventh floor. It's up opens to the public on January 11th and is up through April 8th. And it's really an experience. Linda, I can't thank you enough for taking the time out of your incredibly busy schedule at this incredibly busy time of year. And I want to thank all my listeners for tuning in to the Cherish Podcast. Thank you, Linda.

[Linda Fargo]

Thank you, Michael. I had the best time. Really, I did.

[Michael Boudreau]

You've been listening to the Cherish Podcast, brought to you, of course, by Cherish, which was recently voted by the readers of USA Today as the best place to shop online for furniture and home decor. If you enjoyed this episode, please tell a friend or colleague. Or better yet, go to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review. We appreciate your help in spreading the word and we would love your ideas for future episodes. Please email [e-mail] the Cherish podcast is produced by Britta Muller and engineered by Hanger Studios in New York. Until next time.