I take little consolation in the seeming vindication of my position on the re-branding of Marshall Fields’s as Macy’s represented in the ongoing performance challenges of “Macy’s North. ” Nor am I surprised: shopping is both functional and emotional, and Chicagoans have a huge emotional connection to the Field’s brand, and very little to Macy’s. If Macy’s had entered the market in another manner, say by rebranding Lord & Taylor or as a standalone, I have little doubt that they would have been greeted by anything other than open arms. But in taking away something intrinsically Chicago from Chicago, they created powerful negative emotional responses, and I expect those wounds might heal more slowly than Wall Street’s unforgiving nature will allow.