Ignaz Gorischek shares his experience being “paid to play” for over forty years as a visual merchandiser in the world of fashion retail. Trained in fashion illustration, Gorischek transitioned into “three-dimensional storytelling” in smaller retail environments before transitioning to Burdines in Florida and then spent decades at the downtown Dallas flagship location for Neiman-Marcus, where he worked with Neiman-Marcus corporate on large-scale, often international projects. Those included partnering with the Italian Trade Commission, planning the “Texas: The Crossroads” Fortnight event, “The Next Hundred Years” centennial celebration in 2007, and creating iconic Christmas windows for the flagship location. Gorischek notes formative figures through his career – Stanely Marcus, Billy Payton, among others – and details the company ethos of Neiman-Marcus.