This study investigates the interwar development of a new typology of building- the department store, focusing on the case study of “Mgazinul Victoria”, first of its kind in the city of Bucharest, Romania. Rising to fame during the first half of the 20th century, surviving Second World War, and thriving during the Communist period (1947-1989), earning the title of protected monument from the Patrimony of Romania, today the building shows clear signs of economic decline and architectural decay. In this paper I explain and contextualize the important role that the store had in society, how the attitudes changed and how this change is reflected in the architecture of the store. Furthermore, by analyzing the architecture of the building I classify it within the Art Deco movement and argument that this classification together with its location within the city support the premise that the addition of the department store typology is representative for the public wish of alignment with the Western European countries, its cultures, formal urban structures, and architectural aesthetics. Additionally, the thesis illustrates the extensive decay and attempts to understand why is it present.