As a rabbi with a love of fashion, Loehmann’s — the iconic off-price retailer — has always held a special place in my heart. That’s why my Jewish self was giddy upon hearing of its pop-up reopening in Deer Park, just five minutes from my hometown on Long Island.

After rearranging my schedule to be there on opening day, I shlepped out to Long Island on a Friday (never a great idea!) and made it there within an hour of the store’s grand reopening. On a breezy summer morning, the step-and-repeat was out, the fluorescent lights were blazing, and salespeople were scurrying to get those 50%-off signs just right.

I placed my black handbag on the floor to peruse a rack of animal-print jackets, when an older woman gave me the unmistakable Bubbe stare and muttered, “You shouldn’t do that.” I was home.

Loehmann’s, which closed in 2014, was never just about bargains. It was about the chorus of unsolicited advice, with the communal dressing room as its sanctuary. Under the merciless glare of fluorescent lights, grandmothers, mothers, and strangers alike weighed in on your outfit options — whether you asked or not. You could always count on someone’s Bubbe in the corner telling you that skirt was too short, that shade was too harsh, and that you could do better.

From a young age, shopping there with my mother and grandmothers........

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