The final markdown

The grand dame of designer discounts will soon take her final breath, with the remnants of her once proud, chock-a-block bins slashed to 85 percent off. The original Filene's Basement in Downtown Crossing, opened in 1908 by Edward Filene, will close for two years. (The store will close sometime in the next few days, but officials could not confirm the date.) During that time the building that now houses it will be converted into a hotel, condominiums, and retail stores. Although the flagship store will be back in 2009, and other locations will not be affected, longtime shoppers worry that their favorite features, such as automatic markdowns, will disappear along with the water-stained ceiling tiles. (A spokeswoman says the beloved discount system will be back.) We asked some of the Basement's biggest fans to reflect on their favorite subterranean shopping moments. -- CHRISTOPHER MUTHER

ANDREA BAPTISTE
reality television personality/ motivational speaker
I bought the most amazing Dolce & Gabbana dress there, which was my all-time favorite. I wore that dress until it was probably tattered. The price tag was something insane. Like $100. The Downtown Crossing Basement was truly destiny shopping. If you found it, and it fit, then it was for you. I once went with my cousin to look for a wedding dress, and it was the scariest experience of my life. I think I would rather have been thrown under a bus. Women with baby carriages were using their babies and strollers as weapons to run you over. I'd never seen anything like it.

VICTORIA BLOCK
reporter, WHDH-TV
They had everything down there. I could pick up Adrienne Vittadini clothes at the Basement, they had some fabulous Dolce & Gabbana bags. I had to give myself some time when I was there. I didn't like to just go in and sneak around. I needed a couple of hours if I was going to do some serious damage. You had to lift things up and pick things off the rack because people would hide things. They were hoping no one would find a fabulous dress in the men's section, they were going to come back for it. It was a total adventure every time you went.

SARA CAMPBELL
fashion designer
I just loved the treasure hunt of it, and I've gotten some great stuff that wasn't even being close to being the right size. I've found some great Prada pieces, Dolce & Gabbana, and some amazing shoes. My favorite things are the high-end couture designers out of Europe. I love the Louis Boston sales, but I want to bop my girlfriend in the head because she owns Louis, and she never tells me when she has merchandise going to the Basement. Debi Greenberg, you'd better tell me when you have merchandise going to the Basement!

THOMAS M. MENINO
mayor of Boston
The first place people would always want to visit in Boston was Filene's Basement. I can remember I had the US Conference of Mayors here for a meeting, and I asked six months before, "Where do you want to go when you're in Boston?" And they said, "Can we go to Filene's Basement?" So we got it open at 7:30 in the morning. I would go down three times a week, just walk down during my lunch hour when I wanted to get out of the office. It was good retail therapy.

SUSAN WORNICK
midday anchor/investigative reporter, WCVB-TV
You have to understand that I'm America's great consumer. I've been a Basement shopper for years. Even though I grew up in Natick, I first started to become familiar with it when I was in college in Boston. Girlfriends, mostly from New York, were the ones who introduced me to Filene's Basement. One of my first finds was this great coat. I don't remember exactly how much it was, something like $5 or $10. It was an amazing price. I wore it proudly, until someone pointed out to me that it was a bathrobe. It just never occurred to me that it wouldn't be a coat. But it wasn't. After that I still wore it as a coat, more proudly than ever.