MovieChat Forums > Miracle on 34th Street (1994) Discussion > Cole's Department Store??

Cole's Department Store??

posted 17 years ago by adambomb1701
3 replies | jump to latest

Does anyone know the real story why Macy's didn't allow their name to be used as the department store which employed Kris, when the three previous versions of the film all used the name "Macy's", assumedly with the permission of the store? I had assumed that since the last time this story was filmed (in 1973), Macy's was sold to Federated Department Stores (who also owns Bloomingdale's) and the new management refused to license the Macy's name.
In an ironic twist, the fake store name they came up with, "Cole's," became, with a different spelling ("Kohl's") a national store chain a few years after the release of this film.

BRING OUT SEASON THREE OF THE GREAT ONCE AND AGAIN ON DVD!

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] knight1192a 15 years ago

Actually, that different spelling exsisted before this remake. Kohl's can trace itself back to the '40s as a supermarket. Max Kohl, the man who opened the supermarket in '46, then opened the first Kohl's Department Store in '62. In both cases Kohl's was located in Wisconsin. After a buyout ten years later Kohl's would then expand to Illinois and Indiana. In '88-'89 it would expand again to Minnesota and Michigan and was set in '92 to go from being a Northern Midwest chain to a national chain. It was three years after this movie came out that it began to become a national chain. This movie had nothing to do with Kohl's becoming a national chain as they were already looking to do so two years before it was released.

[–] NobodymournstheWicked 13 years ago

I have no idea as to why Macy's didn't allow the filmamkers of this movie to use their name for this movie, but I am sure it had to be a business decision, and maybe had a good reason to this. Plus I don't know if the store Kohl's gave them permission to use the name Cole's with a different spelling. I would have assumed it was named after the owner of the department store. I don't know where you got the idea that Kohl's came around a few years after this movie, as mentioned Kohl's has been around long before the movie, it was founded in Milwaukee in 1962. Next time double check your information before you post your reply.