“Voices from the Basement,” is a journey back to a time when the American Dream was available to everyone who walked through the doors of the original Filene’s Basement in Boston. The Brahmins of Beacon Hill stood in line with the waitresses from Durgin Park.  Each had equal access to the same high-quality merchandise that made The Basement famous.

The film is a collection of stories told by the people who worked and shopped in The Basement.  Celebrities, politicians and loyal shoppers share their passion for this landmark institution that has been one of Boston’s most visited tourist attractions for one century.

The history of Filene’s Basement is captured through newsreels, archival footage, vintage photographs and audio recordings.  The founders, Edward and Lincoln Filene, were two of the great retail pioneers that helped shape many of the social and economic paradigms that made America great.  From employee health care to the formation of credit unions, the Filene brothers were ahead of their time.

As times change so goes the Basement?  In the late 1980s, Filene’s Basement branched off as a separate company.  Through some highs and lows it has managed to outlive it’s original parent company of WM. Filene Son’s Co. 

In 2005 Filene’s Department Stores became Macy’s and the landmark location in Downtown Crossing was sold to developers in an effort to revitalize the area. The project currently remains at a standstill and Filene's Basement is up for auction in bankruptcy court. Whatever the outcome, Filene's Basement lives in this historic documentary film.

Notables interviewed include; Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Governor Michael Dukakis, Congressman Barney Frank, CBS news legend Mike Wallace, Academy-Award Winning Actress Estelle Parsons, Boston journalists Peter Mehegan and Susan Wornick.

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There is no place in the world like the original Filene’s Basement.  Edward and Lincoln Filene were visionaries ahead of their time.  Status was left at the door so that everyone had equal access to quality merchandise at bargain prices.  The Filenes were instrumental in establishing many social and economic practices that are commonplace today.  The Filenes department stores’ policies and endowments created:

Minimum Wages
40 Hour Work Week
Profit Sharing
Women’s Rights
Credit Unions
Healthcare (Blue Cross)
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Harvard Business School
Tufts University’s Filene Center
Public Television (WGBH)
The (20th) Century Fund
The Lincoln and Therese Filene Fund