US department store Macy's bought New York City retail concept Story in 2018, enrolling at the same time founder Rachel Shechtman as Brand Experience Officer. The idea was to bring experience back in the department store. Macy's opened more than 35 Story shop-in-shops, and also opened a new store format earlier this year led by Shechtman called Market by Macy's, with a curated offering.

But now Macy's Inc. has been streamlining to conserve cash and navigate its way through the pandemic. "Based on today's economic realities, we are pausing our new store format work to focus on our existing store and omnichannel footprint. As part of this transition, Rachel Shechtman will be leaving Macy's," a spokesperson said. The departure does not sign the end of Story at Macy's, though the format has evolved. "Story has a role to play in our gifting strategy," the spokesperson said. "The existing Story locations have reopened in their current format. We see great potential, and the format and merchandising will evolve with our gifting strategy." However, before the pandemic, Macy's had already closed 16 of the Story shops.

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