From oldnewark.com comes this undated photo of Bambergers, without a doubt my favorite downtown department store. My colleague Glenn's succinct commentary:
In 1892, Louis Bamberger bought the Hill & Craig Department store on the corner of Halsey & Market Streets. He teamed up with his two brothers-in-law, Felix Fuld and Louis M. Frank to form L. Bamberger and Company. Mr. Bamberger had his sales people trained to treat all customers with great respect. In 1924 the store employed 2,800 people who enjoyed benefits, pension plans and other incentives. The annual sales for 1928 totaled $38,000,000, ranking it fourth in the country among department stores. The store was sold to R. H. Macy in 1929.

I remember hearing that Macy's owned Bambergers but didn't realy know if it was true. I often wonder if it was as big as it was in my memory. The picture certainly looks like it. When I was a liitle girl I thought they must have the most wonderful doll selection in the world-4th floor.

On the 7th Floor was the Boy Scout department, where we got our gear. I also remember well the Garden State Tea Room, accessed via a grand stairway on the Halsey Street side of the store, past the elevators. Pretty good restaurant, and kind of swanky. Grandma Crowley used to take us there whenever we went to Bamberger's.

I loved wondering around Bamberger's. A lot of the patients that I take care of always perk up when I mention the old Department stores of Newark---especially Bamberger's and Hanes.

In the summer of 1966, John Hempel and I got a temporary job at Bamberger's Warehouse in Silver Lake. $2.50 an hour and they worked our tails off.
I liked working at Ohrbachs better. My wife was secretary to the VP of Hahnes from 1970 to 1972.

I heard all those VPs actually got their lunch from the House O' Weenies on Halsey and Raymond Boulevard.