The Marshall Fields And Company Idea - December 2025

Up on the seventh floor of the Marshall Fields on State Street building sits the recently renamed "Marshall Fields Walnut Room".  Someone at Macy's finally figured out they were sitting on a goldmine of nostalgia and local equity that they were wasting.  That has changed this year with an increased investment in the 7th floor, a renewed Walnut room experience and a whole investment in telling the history of Marshall Field's over in the area with the bathrooms.

On one of the walls sits this sign that explains "The Marshall Field and Company Idea".

Here's what the sign says:

To do the right thing, at the right time, in the right way;
to do some things better than they were ever done before'
to eliminate errors;
to know both sides of the question;
to be courteous;
to be an example;
to love our work;
to anticipate requirements;
to develop resources;
to recognize no impediments;
to master circumstances;
to act from reason rather than rule;
to be satisfied with nothing short of perfection.

Seems like it still makes sense today.  More at the Department Store Museum site.  

I've written about Marshall Fields over the years here on the blog including this catalog of the Walnut Room mugs through history.  Here are the full [Marshall Fields] archives.  Here are some posts about Uncle Mistletoe posts that are worth checking out, too.