NEW YORK, NY (November 6, 2019) – STORY at Macy’s, the always-changing, narrative-driven concept store inside 36 Macy’s locations nationwide, kicks off the holiday season with the launch of its latest theme: “Home for the Holidays.” As an editorial-inspired, living gift-guide, the concept showcases gifting options within home-themed environments. Opening today and running through December 31, “Home for the Holidays STORY” offers a one-stop destination for everyone on your holiday list as shoppers explore stylized spaces that correspond to different gift recipients. Featuring more than 900 gifts from 200 small businesses, including items for foodies, lovers of travel, glam treats, tech and DIY kits, pet accessories and more, STORY at Macy’s is the home base for a wonderland of presents to explore and discover this holiday season.
“This is our first ‘Home for the Holidays’ installation at our new home inside 36 Macy’s stores nationwide,” noted Rachel Shechtman, STORY founder and Macy’s brand experience officer. “For this year’s living gift guide, we are bringing shoppers a wonderland of gifts for everyone on their list in the ultimate home setting! Our special event programming will bring the magic of the season to life helping shoppers enhance their holiday celebrations.”
Each section of the ultimate holiday home features merchandise that speaks to a number of recipients. For the person who has everything, shoppers will discover food-themed finds, party and entertaining gifts, whimsical games, as well as travel, office, and pet accessories. For someone who deserves to treat themselves, it’s all about glam and comfort gifts. Cozy up with cold weather must-haves from Echo, candles from illume, and super-soft cashmere socks from iLux, all housed inside a warm and woodsy space. For someone especially hard to shop for, “Home for the Holidays STORY” offers the perfect gifts from grooming kits to tech items and rock music-inspired collectibles, and even a cocktail kit from Brooklyn’s Hella Bitters. And finally, for someone little and bright on your list, customers can discover great space and science-themed gifts, DIY kits and animal plush toys.
What would the holidays be without sweet treats? STORY at Macy’s has joined forces with Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats, a favorite in homes across the country for generations. “We are excited about bringing our brands to life in new contexts and occasions. When the opportunity to be a part of STORY’s Home for the Holidays installation at Macy’s came up, it seemed perfect for Rice Krispies Treats, to further spread our message of love through holiday events,” shared Gail Horwood, chief marketing officer Kellogg North America. In all 36 STORY at Macy’s locations, customers will be able to take a break from shopping and decorate their own holiday Rice Krispies Treats to gift to friends or enjoy at their own family celebrations.
At STORY at Macy’s flagship location inside Macy’s Herald Square in New York City, the wonder of the holidays will be celebrated with a larger-than-life experience, created with designer David Stark. “For the flagship location, we wanted to give shoppers the ultimate home experience and introduce them to our friends who’ve been part of STORY holidays year after year - David Stark designed our amazing flagship environment, artist Darcy Miller will bring our NYC section to life with original art and will host special events, and Iris Apfel is back by popular demand to sell jewelry from her personal collection,” added Shechtman.
At Herald Square, the concept offers an immersive experience that takes shoppers on a journey through four different, over-the-top, stylized homes chock full of gifts. Step inside a log cabin to discover gifts for someone who has everything, venture into an ice palace for gifts for those who deserve to treat themselves, explore a Mid-Century modern kitchen and find gifts for tasteful hosts and hostesses, and follow your inner child into a playroom filled with games and more. “The design is about joy, wonder, and getting lost in the moment. It is exciting for us to collaborate on bringing ‘Home for the Holidays STORY’ to life for its Macy’s holiday debut. Every year, we are inspired to create an immersive environment to bring theater and fun to holiday shopping and this year is no different as we create four different homes, each representing different gift recipients,” said David Stark, chief creative officer, David Stark Design and Production.
STORY’s ever-changing concepts would not be complete without a host of events. For “Home for the Holidays STORY,” the magic of that warm welcoming spirit comes to life through a mix of “mingling” and “making” events. In stores across the country, shoppers can join activities ranging from Thanksgiving tablescaping to ornament making and pop-up card creating seminars to benefit Make-A-Wish®, as part of Macy’s Believe letter-writing campaign.
Event Highlights
For a complete list of “Home for the Holidays STORY” events and to RSVP, visit macys.com/STORY
Macy’s Herald Square
Thursday, November 21, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Trunk Show + Sell with Iris Apfel at Herald Square
Legendary style icon Iris Apfel hosts a trunk show from her personal jewelry collection. Purchase a piece for the opportunity to meet her.
Date to be announced
Illustrations and Calligraphy with Darcy Miller
Join entertaining expert and NYC artist Darcy Miller to create the perfect holiday cards complete with calligraphy messages inside for all your loved ones this holiday season.
All STORY at Macy’s locations
Saturday, November 23, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Turn the Tables: Thanksgiving Tablescaping
Craft standout, personalized napkin rings and place cards for your Thanksgiving table. We'll provide all the supplies (and inspiration) to take your holiday table up a notch.
Friday, December 6, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Pop-Up Card Customization benefitting Make-A-Wish®
Start making a list and making it look nice. In celebration of Macy’s annual Believe campaign, join us to create artful pop-up cards or write a letter to Santa with ALL the gifts you’re wishing for this season. For every letter written, Macy’s will make a donation of $1 to Make-A-Wish®, up to $1 million, so you can feel merry good about your artwork.
Wednesday, December 11, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Sweet Gestures: Gift Making with Rice Krispies Treats®
Get creative! Shape and decorate sweet Rice Krispies Treats into ornaments, wreaths, snowflakes, hearts, and more. With your choice of tasting treat toppings like frosting, sprinkles and more, you’ll go home with a special box of treats to share as a gift or enjoy at your own holiday celebration.
Saturday, December 14, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Merry Making: DIY Ornaments
Deck the halls (or these festive ornaments) and join us for a hands-on ornament customization workshop. Get merrymaking with special supplies to add some sparkle or shine and create ornaments that will last for many more holiday seasons to come.
For more information on STORY at Macy’s locations and for a listing of events by store, please visit macys.com/STORY.
“Home for the Holidays STORY” launches today at all STORY at Macy’s locations:
â— Macy’s South Coast Plaza – Costa Mesa, CA
â— Macy’s Newport Fashion Island – Newport Beach, CA
â— Macy’s Stoneridge – Pleasanton, CA
â— Macy’s Union Square – San Francisco, CA
â— Macy’s Westfield Valley Fair – Santa Clara, CA
â— Macy’s Boca Raton Town Center – Boca Raton, FL
â— Macy’s Dadeland – Miami, FL
â— Macy’s Orlando Millenia – Orlando, FL
â— Macy’s Lenox Square- Atlanta, GA
â— Macy’s Perimeter – Atlanta, GA
â— Macy’s State Street – Chicago, IL
â— Macy’s Woodfield – Schaumburg, IL
â— Macy’s Castleton Square – Indianapolis, IN
â— Macy’s Fayette – Lexington, KY
â— Macy’s Ridgedale – Minnetonka, MN
â— Macy’s Las Vegas Fashion Show – Las Vegas, NV
â— Macy’s Bridgewater – Bridgewater Township, NJ
â— Macy’s Freehold – Freehold Township, NJ
â— Macy’s Short Hills – Short Hills, NJ
â— Macy’s Willowbrook – Wayne, NJ
â— Macy’s Brooklyn – Brooklyn, NY
â— Macy’s Roosevelt Field – Long Island, NY
â— Macy’s Herald Square – New York, NY
â— Macy’s Queens Center – Queens, NY
â— Macy’s Cross County – Yonkers, NY
â— Macy’s Kenwood Towne Centre – Cincinnati, OH
â— Macy’s Easton Town Center – Columbus, OH
â— Macy’s Polaris Fashion Place – Columbus, OH
â— Macy’s Center City – Philadelphia, PA
â— Macy’s Ross Park – Pittsburgh, PA
â— Macy’s Northpark Center – Dallas, TX
â— Macy’s Houston Galleria – Houston, TX
â— Macy’s Memorial City – Houston, TX
â— Macy’s Bellevue – Bellevue, WA
â— Macy’s Alderwood – Lynnwood, WA
â— Macy’s Metro Center – Washington, D.C.
Opening day and product images for media use are available at:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1osjb7gzglscdln/AAAO53cCSBs0mYA6AhcW94AJa?dl=0
About STORY
STORY is a retail concept that changes every few months to bring a new narrative experience to life through curated merchandise and event programming. The ever-changing experience began in 2010 in New York City, where STORY operated as an independent small business for seven years and pioneered a retail as media business model that changed every eight weeks to open a new theme while engaging brands as sponsors for each themed story. Macy’s acquired STORY in 2018 and its founder, Rachel Shechtman, now serves as Macy’s brand experience officer. STORY relaunched in spring of 2019 as STORY at Macy’s. Visit macys.com/STORY for more information.
About Macy’s
Macy's is America’s store for life. The largest retail brand of Macy's, Inc. (NYSE:M) delivers quality fashion at affordable prices to customers at approximately 640 locations in 43 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam, as well as to customers in more than 100 international destinations through leading e-commerce site macys.com. Macy's inspires fashion exploration and discovery through the most desired family of exclusive brands for her, for him, for the home, and via our dynamic mobile and social platforms. We know the power of celebration, demonstrated through decades of memorable experiences created during Macy's 4th of July Fireworks® and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade®, as well as spectacular fashion shows, culinary events, flower shows, and celebrity appearances. Macy's flagship stores – including New York City’s Herald Square – are internationally renowned and preeminent destinations for tourists. With the collective support of our customers and employees, Macy's builds community and helps make a difference in every market we serve, supporting local and national charities by giving nearly $50 million each year, plus 146,000 hours of volunteer service. For more than 160 years, Macy’s has, and continues to, make life shine brighter for our customers, colleagues, and communities.
For Macy’s media materials, including images and contacts, please visit our online pressroom at macysinc.com/news-media.
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Associated Press
Shot List
“Macy’s STORY” / Martha Stewart
New York, New York, 06 November 2019
1. Macy’s exterior sign
2. STORY, Home for the Holidays signage
3. Various sections of the concept store, clean
4. Various sections of the concept store, with shoppers
5. Martha Stewart posing for photographs
6. Soundbite (ENGLISH) Martha Stewart
“I'm here at the new STORY, Home for the Holidays on the Mezzanine and Macy's Herald Square. It is a fantastic store. I'm a big fan of Rachel Shechtman and I love what she does bringing together such diverse merchandise into a really cohesive whole. This is a special store that everybody should visit. I've already just loading up my arms with Christmas presents. It's a lot of fun and I have some great things here, too. I have my book, "Cookie Perfection". I have a lot of things that we sell in Macy's here in the store. Also some really nice Christmas items. And I think you'll find everything here interesting, provocative things that are hard to find, things that will be really fabulous under your Christmas tree.
7. Soundbite (ENGLISH) Martha Stewart
“In my cookie book, there's more than one hundred recipes for the most delicious cookies. I think that we are known for all our baking and this book does not disappoint.”
8. Soundbite (ENGLISH) Martha Stewart
“Oh, there are a lot of must haves here in the store for Home for the Holidays. I'm having a big Christmas party. Don't tell anybody, but I've seen lots of things that I am taking home right now.”
9. Soundbite (ENGLISH) Rachel Shechtman, Macy’s STORY founder and Macy’s brand experience officer
“Home for the Holidays is our annual holiday installation, where we turn a space into a living gift guide. So there's different rooms that represent different gift recipients. So right now we're in the kitchen and living room where there's something for everyone. There's over, in our Herald Square flagship here, over 2,000 gifts from over 200 small businesses, which is really exciting. And so we teamed up this year with David Stark, who is an incredible New York based designer who we've worked with for years. And Martha Stewart to celebrate her new book. And Darcy Miller, who's an amazing artist. And we took our friends and collaborators who we worked with in our original Chelsea location. And we move them uptown to celebrate our big launch at Macy's.”
10. Soundbite (ENGLISH) Rachel Shechtman, Macy’s STORY founder and Macy’s brand experience officer
“To bring a gift guide to life every year we always use a home because people are either going home, they're going to someone else's home. And so each room of the house kind of frames a different assortment. So when you go into the women's bedroom, that looks like an ice castle. You have all these amazing, you know, scarves and candles and gifts for her. And then there's this great cozy log cabin that's Buffalo Check. And you have, you know, great desk accessories and, you know, men's grooming products. And so each kind of environment and space is designed to kind of be a backdrop for all the product to come to life.”
11. Soundbite (ENGLISH) Rachel Shechtman, Macy’s STORY founder and Macy’s brand experience officer
“Well, I always say STORY is the place that you never know what you're looking for. But when you're there, you're like, oh, my God, I didn't know I needed this. But I. But I have to have it!”
12. Soundbite (ENGLISH) Rachel Shechtman, Macy’s STORY founder and Macy’s brand experience officer
“One thing that's core and unique and important to STORY that we've always done is is hosted, you know, community centric event programing. So since we launched in April, we've done over nine hundred and sixty eight events across the country. So events for customers ranging from DIY workshops to mixology class to cooking. And so this season for the holidays, we're doing everything from make her own pop up cards to hosting a Rice Krispie treats making party where, take them edible glitter and some Rice Krispie treats and gift boxes. And people can come together and make their own gifts. So that's something that we've had an amazing response to. And it's nice to be able, you know, in addition to someone having the opportunity to buy something, it's nice to be able you know, all events are complimentary. Anyone can come. So it's really nice to be able to do that during a season that's always so busy to take a break and eat something sweet and make something and have fun. “
STORYLINE
A Wonderland of Gifts for Everyone on Your List
STORY at Macy’s, the always-changing, narrative-driven concept store inside 36 Macy’s locations nationwide, kicks off the holiday season with the launch of its latest theme: “Home for the Holidays.” As an editorial-inspired, living gift-guide, the concept showcases gifting options within home-themed environments. Opening today and running through December 31, “Home for the Holidays STORY” offers a one-stop destination for everyone on your holiday list as shoppers explore stylized spaces that correspond to different gift recipients. Featuring more than 900 gifts from 200 small businesses, including items for foodies, lovers of travel, glam treats, tech and DIY kits, pet accessories and more, STORY at Macy’s is the home base for a wonderland of presents to explore and discover this holiday season.
Each section of the ultimate holiday home features merchandise that speaks to a number of recipients. For the person who has everything, shoppers will discover food-themed finds, party and entertaining gifts, whimsical games, as well as travel, office, and pet accessories. For someone who deserves to treat themselves, it’s all about glam and comfort gifts. Cozy up with cold weather must-haves from Echo, candles from illume, and super-soft cashmere socks from iLux, all housed inside a warm and woodsy space. For someone especially hard to shop for, “Home for the Holidays STORY” offers the perfect gifts from grooming kits to tech items and rock music-inspired collectibles, and even a cocktail kit from Brooklyn’s Hella Bitters. And finally, for someone little and bright on your list, customers can discover great space and science-themed gifts, DIY kits and animal plush toys.
At STORY at Macy’s flagship location inside Macy’s Herald Square in New York City, the wonder of the holidays will be celebrated with a larger-than-life experience, created with designer David Stark. At Herald Square, the concept offers an immersive experience that takes shoppers on a journey through four different, over-the-top, stylized homes chock full of gifts. Step inside a log cabin to discover gifts for someone who has everything, venture into an ice palace for gifts for those who deserve to treat themselves, explore a Mid-Century modern kitchen and find gifts for tasteful hosts and hostesses, and follow your inner child into a playroom filled with games and more.
6 November 2019
