This is the third installment of Luxe Stories, a standalone podcast series (distinct from Pauline’s regular show) that takes a deep look at the remarkable histories of iconic luxury brands and how they evolved over time. In this episode, Pauline explores the story of America’s leading luxury department store, Neiman Marcus. Drawing on her own experience as a longtime vendor, partner, and former board member, she examines the company not just as a retailer, but as a cultural force that helped shape how luxury has been perceived and experienced here in the United States. The episode traces Neiman Marcus’s journey from its origins in early-1900s Dallas to its place in today’s rapidly changing landscape. At the heart of the story are the elements that define every great, enduring brand: the cultural context in which it was born, the people who built it, and the ideas that shaped it. Listeners are introduced to Neiman's three founders: Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman, and her husband, Abraham Lincoln Neiman. Pauline focuses primarily on Carrie, whose instinct for style, quality, and innovation laid the foundation for modern American fashion. Carrie's influence, together with Herbert’s operational discipline, transformed the retailer from a single successful store into a nationally recognized commercial and cultural institution. The episode also examines pivotal moments that could have ended the business but instead made it stronger - from a devastating early fire to decades-later mergers that reshaped its structure and leadership. Through each era, Neiman Marcus showed how creativity, resilience, and agility allowed it to adapt to changing circumstances, while its heritage and culture preserved its core values. The story of Neiman Marcus offers lessons not only for luxury marketers, but for anyone interested in how organizations evolve and endure across generations. More than a corporate history, Luxe Stories asks a larger question: what allows a brand to outlive its founders, its owners, and even its original business model? And why, despite decades of upheaval, the Neiman Marcus legacy still matters today? While this episode does not explore the company’s current bankruptcy, it leaves listeners wondering whether today’s owners and leaders can summon the same creativity, discipline, and judgment that once enabled Neiman Marcus to overcome its greatest challenges.
