Eric Feigenbaum

Prior to this year, the industry might have known Eric Feigenbaum for his work; nine years as corporate director of visual merchandising for Stern's Department Store, director of visual merchandising for WalkerGroup/CNI, proprietor of his own retail design company, Globe Arts. Or it might have known him for his commitment to the industry as teacher and writer.

But now it also knows him as the tour guide through a century of retailing, as the historian of VM+ SD's year-long “Our Century”series, which comes to an end this issue on page 10. Feigenbaum; with customary introspection; takes a look ahead at the 21st Century and shares his personal thoughts, as a New Yorker, on the tragedy and aftereffects of September 11.

“I've enjoyed a long and wonderful career,” he says. “I've designed stores all over the world, from Toms River, N.J., to Lima, Peru. At the end of the day, I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to teach. We are part of a fabulous industry. It's only through education that we will ensure its future.”

Feigenbaum is an adjunct instructor of visual merchandising and store design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and chair of the Visual Merchandising Department at the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising, both in New York. He is also a founding member of PAVE (the Planning and Visual Education Committee) and serves as chair of its education committee.

What was your best Halloween costume?

At five, I wanted to be what any Jewish kid from the Bronx would want to be: chief of the Cheyennes. Cutting each individual feather out of cardboard (in those wonderful pre-foam core days) and coloring them with Crayola, I assembled a magnificent headdress. I walked off with the barrel of candy corn for first prize, which made my dentist very happy.

What did you have to learn the hard way?

I had to learn to delegate. The old saying tells us, “If you want it done right, do it yourself.” Wrong! Another saying reminds us, “Retail is detail.” To do it all and to do it right, you must delegate and empower.

Which industry figure of the 20th Century interests you most?

Raymond Loewy. Before he became the designer of everything from lipstick to locomotives, he was, briefly, the display director at Macy's. Rejecting accepted display techniques of the day, he focused three powerful spotlights on a single figure. He was a forerunner of today's visual merchandiser. He dared to be different.

If I knew in my 20s what I know now…

I would appreciate and apply the principles of balance. Life is an evolving composition. As in any fine painting, all components must be evenly weighed. Balance, however, should not be confused with symmetry, which is merely pleasant. Balance produces a dynamic force-field, as complementary and polar elements interact.

What is the most beautiful thing in the world to you?

Standing on Mt. St. Cristobal in Chile, overlooking the great expanse of Santiago and the magnificence and beauty of the distant Andes. When the angle of the sun is just so, the highest peaks turn bright red. With rays of light dancing on every ridge, you can't tell where the mountains end and heaven begins.

What will retail be like in 10 years?

A global kaleidoscope of multiculturalism, ever-evolving technologies and push-button mannequin changes. Branded environments will abound, defined by multidisciplined retail designers and digital whiz kids.

What will people coming to New York this month be most impressed by?

By an amazing resiliency and sense of community. The flame under the melting pot has been rekindled. We are one! Never underestimate the heart and soul of a New Yorker.

Yo, New Yorker, use “forget about it” in a statement.

Take your best shot. But bring this city down? Forget about it!