America’s Oldest Department Store Shuts Down After 200 Years

Nearly two centuries of memories are being boxed up and sold off under fluorescent lights. Lord & Taylor, once a symbol of elegance on Manhattan’s streets, couldn’t survive the brutal collision of a global pandemic, empty sidewalks, and the relentless rise of online shopping. The plan to keep a handful of locations alive collapsed under the weight of reality, turning a cautious restructuring into a full-scale liquidation.