<![CDATA[The Pipeline]]> <![CDATA[The Pipeline]]> /Portals/2/logos/__TFMF_w50zov2suc5xyrvgnfd5bcvo_18ed70c5-909c-4539-a449-656c26a22f5a_0___Selected.jpg en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Thu, 23 May 2013 16:41:23 GMT 15 <![CDATA[Pikesville Icon Closes After 120 Years]]> By Dan W.

Dan Waldman
Fields was opened in 1892 by the Fields family.

Chances are that if you have lived in Pikesville at any point in the last 120 years, you have probably eaten at Fields. The Pikesville icon, founded in 1892 by the Fields family, was acquired by Ruth Hollander in 1946. Not only is Fields known for its cafe, but it is also the predominant retailer of high-end beauty products. Although the pharmacy in Fields closed in 1998, patrons and long-time customers still arrived at the Pikesville Icon for one of their famous milkshakes. Customers arrive at Fields on Saturday, September 1, as waitresses cry and hug long-time customers of the restaurant. Sharon, a waitress for over 30 years at Fields, emphasized that everyone who works at Fields is just “one big family.” “It’s a part of the family, its one big house that we all live in, I don’t know what I will do without it,” she said. What is the one thing that the customers will remember most about Fields, the milkshakes, the ambiance, the spirited waitresses or the fact that familiar faces are seen on almost every trip to the restaurant? Ethel Milner sits down to eat one last meal at Fields on Saturday with her daughter Renee Rendel and sister Dorothy Fine, as they discuss how Fields has been a part of their family for four generations. “It’s an institution, it’s been here 120 years, you come meet, eat and greet, and now it’s gone,” said Mrs. Ethel Milner, who has been eating at Fields for 50 years, said. Fields customers, reminisce about experiences at the restaurant. “They are all early memories, bringing the kids and babies here to eat,” she said. Patrons of Fields express their feelings toward the closing of the restaurant. “very upsetting, it really is, this is it, this is it, where will I eat now?” Ethel recalls memorable experiences at the restaurant. “The egg salad, the tuna salad, the snowballs with marshmallow,” she said. Ethel’s daughter Renee Rendel said, “Fields was the hangout, I remember coming after school with Friends,” she said. Whether Fields is seen as an institution to get a first-rate milkshake, or a place to come with friends after a long day of school, Fields will be remembered by many as one of the most historic landmarks in Pikesville. On Saturday, September 1, Fields had been the busiest it had been in months. People came to bring back memories of their childhood as well as to say goodbye to the waitresses who they have come to know personally. But standing alone in the cosmetics department was Ruth Hollander. Mrs. Hollander is very upset about the closing of the restaurant. “Right now very painful,” she said. Ruth feels that the the restaurant has numerous memorable aspects. `“the wonderful milkshakes, the customers and wonderful food for a reasonable price,” says Ruth. Ruth even began to explain how the cosmetics department in Fields came to be. “I broke a bottle of fragrance on the Christmas counter and smelled it, I realized how wonderful it was and took a liking to cosmetics. I started collecting cosmetics for Fields, I told my husband of five years that we had to start a cosmetics department, which is how Fields became Fields Pharmacy,” Ruth Hollander said. Ruth feels that Fields will forever be the icon of Pikesville and that she does not know what could possibly replace it. “This is going to change the competition of Pikesville and lets face it, I don’t know what will take its place,” Ruth said. In the cosmetics department, people were spending frantically and taking advantage of the half-off closing sales. The patrons of Fields saw the saddened sights of waitresses breaking down into tears and groups of elderly people enjoying their last meal at Fields on Saturday, and as those patrons walked out of the store at 4:00, Fields closed its doors for the last time. Fields provided a place for citizens to not only congregate but to also enjoy one of their famous milkshakes. Although Fields may be closed now, it will forever be an important part of Pikesville as a community, and it will forever be a part of all of us. ]]> Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:54:01 GMT