Imagine a shop where you can buy everything... OK, you've heard of the Internet, but think of an actual real-life shop. Because there's something about a physical store that online shopping just can't replace. And nothing beats a classic department store. In addition to selling stacks of different merchandise and brands, these extravagantly designed stores-within-stores offer something else -- an experience. "Historically the big downtown department stores were almost like city centers," says Jan Whitaker, a department store historian who's penned two books on these emporiums of commerce.