And then promptly kill off the Downtown Crossing store forever so it can rent it to somebody more lucrative, the Herald reports. Vornado teamed up with Syms on what is now apparently the winning bid for the frail Filene's Basement.

The Globe has a big story, Last markdown for Filene's Basement.

The story itself is not quite a port-mortem, but the reader comments are a wake for the original Downtown Crossing location that made Filene's Basement a Boston institution.

Retail Ventures paid $1,675,000 to liquidator Buxbaum Holdings to get rid of Filene's Basement. A bankruptcy filing is likely within the next few days.

Liquidator buys what's left of the chain, the Herald reports.

The current owner of Filene's Basement has listed it as a "discontinued operation" and put it up for sale. If nobody buys it after 30 days, will they give it to charity?

And Chris Faraone is fairly grumpy about it:

... When it became too painful to proceed I stepped across Boylston Street for the afterparty at McGreevy's, where I met a gaggle of nice ladies that failed to find a dress. Their sentiments reflected mine: boorish bargain pillaging is no way to buy an outfit that will be photographed and placed on your mantle until the divorce. ...

Boston Police report arresting a Melrose man on charges he got on the down escalator at the Boylston Street Filene's Basement yesterday afternoon, then took off his pants and took a leak:

It should be noted that the store was full of customers, some of whom were children when the suspect engaged in this behavior.

But the escalator was so slow that by the time he got to the bottom, they were adults?

Leonard J. Daigneault, 51, of Melrose was charged with open and gross lewdness.

Innocent, etc.

The Boston Business Journal reports, says the store will even still be in the basement in the new One Franklin.

Will Ng escapes alive from the annual event, now held at the Hynes. He was there with his fiancee, Cindy:

... This was a crazy event that I hope I will never have to endure again. However, I do have some advice for women who plan to take on this challenge. ...

Lolita Parker Jr. takes photos as Filene's Basement gets ready to close in Downtown Crossing.