Jordan Marsh, a mid-scale department store, opened in Boston in 1841. One hundred years later, Jordan Marsh upped its holiday spirit by turning its entire top floor into an Enchanted Village, a display that included the street-level store windows, and eventually included nearly thirty individual holiday scenes and about 250 animated mannequins.
The annual display ceased in the seventies, but made a brief renaissance in the nineties before the store finally closed up shop for good. Such a shame, too, because Downtown Crossing was the place to go, short of NYC, to see holiday window displays. Oh, sure, there are a few stores still thriving in a redone attempt at Downtown Crossing, but it will never be the heyday that it once was when Jordan Marsh's flagship store and Filene's Basement (famous for the Running of the Brides sale) were the "in" places for holiday visiting.
The Enchanted Village dissolved into oblivion, nothing but memories for those of us who grew up visiting the Enchanted Village during its reign. Until an auction. Yup. The Enchanted Village actually came into auction, and Eliot Tatelman cast the winning bid in a furious and blisteringly rapid event: Eight minutes. In well-under ten minutes, the Enchanted Village would be getting a new home.
Tatelman, for those unfamiliar with New England retail, is former owner and current CEO of Jordan's Furniture (no relation to Jordan Marsh - just a coincidence) conglomerate. He felt the New England tradition should live on and bought the surviving pieces of the original Enchanted Village, setting up mannequin triage and set design to refurbish the spectacle.
Those of us who remember the original sprawling display may be a little disappointed when we reach the end all too quickly, but the addition of snow machines do make for a fun and free experience. One suggestion -- lose the obligatory photo ops on the way in as it really holds up the already way-too-long lines in the furniture warehouse area. Maybe make separate lines for those wanting photos and let the rest of us mosey on into the display.
Either way, if you've never been, it's worth a walk-through. There are also the original-recipe Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins for sale (reasonably priced at $13 for 6). It's about twenty minutes south of Boston in Avon, so it's not too far out of the way. And, for those who find assembled furniture a drag, you can pop down the street to Ikea when you're done.
