Henri Bendel

The Henri Bendel store was originally opened in 1895 and sold luxury accessories such as hand bags, jewelry, and perfumes on New York's fashionable Fifth Avenue. However, the famous store eventually ventured into clothing by the 1910's. Henri Bendel was the first retailer to have its own fragrance, to offer in-store makeovers, and to stage its own fashion show. Before it was owned by L Brands, Henri Bendel was an iconic New York shop known for carrying up and coming designers first, such as Coco Chanel and Ralph Lauren. Henri Bendel even had advertisements made by Andy Warhol in the 1960's. However, after the brands acquisition into L Brands, the exclusively posh New York boutique began losing its apppeal.

In 1985, The Limited, Inc. acquired Henri Bendel. Henri Bendel remained an upscale store selling gifts, jewelry, and accessories with over 20 stores nationwide, including one in Columbus' Easton Town Center. When the City Center Mall was in operation in downtown Columbus from 1989 to 2007, clothing could also be purchased at the Henri Bendel located there. By the 2010's, however, sales began to slow and apparel was discontinued. Until recently, Henri Bendel was still operational under the L Brand. In 2018, L Brands announced they would be closing all 23 Henri Bendel stores and by January 2019, the brand was officially discontinued, closing the website and all the stores for good after 123 years of busuiness.