Originally known as The Show Window, VMSD’s first cover was published in November 1897.

The July 1908 cover featured an eye-catching carving that depicts a store of decades past.

The January 1919 issue of Merchants Record and Show Window features an illustrative cover.

By the early 1900s, The Show Window had become Merchants Record and Show Window. The February 1919 issue incorporated a touch of art nouveau aesthetics.

By the early 1920s, art deco was becoming the art movement of the era. You can notice its influence on this October 1920 cover.

The June 1925 issue of Merchants Record and Show Window included an article on the use of decorative plaques in windows.

By the early 1930s, Merchants Record and Show Window stepped away from its illustrative covers and began featuring photography instead, as with this July 1935 cover.

By the late 1930s, Display World – a competitor of Merchants Record and Show Window – merged with the publication and the new magazine moved forward under the Display World banner for a couple more decades. The July 1949 cover featured a window bursting with textiles.

The September 1949 cover of Display World displayed a creation by legendary window dresser Gene Moore, known for his window displays created for Tiffany & Co.

September 1966’s Display World cover showcased a set of mod mannequins posing in some of the latest fashions of the era.

The January 1977 cover harkened back to the days of old with an illustrative cover, a hand-drawn sketch of the Here & Now retail store. By now, Display World had morphed into Visual Merchandising magazine.

By August 1979, Visual Merchandising began to experiment with a range of conceptual covers as the publication moved into the 1980s.

The September 1979 issue of Visual Merchandising included a special focus on the signage and graphics industry and included an illustration on its cover by Michael Streff.

The January 1980 issue of Visual Merchandising teased a feature about Foley’s, a now defunct-department store which ceased operations in 2006.

By the early 1980s, VMSD changed its name yet again from Visual Merchandising to Visual Merchandising & Store Design. The March 1983 issue looked toward lighting and its effects at retail.

A pastel-hued Lazarus, a department store eventually acquired by Macy’s in the early 2000s, is showcased on VMSD’s September 1983 issue.

Officially defunct by 1998, Charivari graced the cover of VMSD’s December 1984 issue. Founded in 1967, the New York-based brand was known for its avant-garde styles.

A spring/summer fashion forecast was the main draw of VMSD’s July 1984 issue.

Parisian – another defunct department store which was arguably a retail staple in the 1980s and 1990s – was featured on VMSD’s November 1984 cover.

A cover story examining LeSportsac’s “vitality” is featured on the October 1984 cover. Presently, LeSportsac still operates a physical store in New York and two in Hawaii.

A special focus on Japanese retail was the subject matter of VMSD’s September 1984 issue.

This August 1985 cover featured some quintessential ’80s pastels on its cover to highlight a feature about lighting trends.

Carson’s, which ceased operations around 2018 and delayed a comeback due to the Covid pandemic, is featured on this January 1985 cover. Presently, Carson’s exists as an online retailer.

This cover of VMSD’s March 1985 issue featured a story on Meier & Frank, a department store which was eventually acquired by Federated Dept. Stores/Macy’s in 2006.

Highlighting a concept called One Off, VMSD’s November 1985 cover depicts the store’s Convent Garden locale.

By the early 1990s, Visual Merchandising and Store Design once again transformed to become VM&SD. This May 1992 issue included a special feature on women in the retail industry.

Prominently featuring holiday displays from Lenox Square Mall, VMSD’s March 1996 issue showcases a fanciful gazebo on its cover.

The Joslin’s Jewelry nameplate is attention-grabbing on VMSD’s November 1997 cover.

Shuttered in 2005, the Keith Haring Pop Shop was featured on VMSD’s September 1997 cover, about seven years after the street artist and social activist’s death from AIDS-related complications in 1990.

Gilt Restaurant graced the cover of VMSD’s July 2007 issue. About a year later, VM+SD would officially become VMSD, sans the plus sign, as it’s known today.