Palais Royal was an American chain of department stores, owned by
Stage Stores, Inc.
Stage Stores was a department store company specializing in retailing off-price brand name apparel, accessories, cosmetics, footwear, and housewares throughout the United States. Stores were usually located in shopping malls and centers or in st ...
and headquartered in Houston, Texas, that specialized in retailing brand name apparel, accessories, cosmetics, footwear, and housewares.
Brands exclusively found at Palais Royal included Valerie Stevens, Signature Studio, Sun River, Rustic Blue, Rebecca Malone, Wishful Park.
History
Palais Royal originated in 1921 in Downtown
Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, at 620 Main Street, as a small one room shop owned by Milton Levy. Two years later, a larger space was needed, and the store relocated to the corner of Main and Capital. Milton Levy passed away that same year. Isadore Erlich moved to Houston from
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
in 1937 and purchased a controlling interest, and became president of Palais Royal.
Flagship store
The flagship store in Downtown Houston was relocated several times again; in 1928 to 700–6 Main at the Bankers Mortgage Building, now called the Great Jones Building, where it would remain for a quarter century.
When next-door competitor
Sakowitz
Sakowitz was a men's clothing store which grew into a small chain of family-owned high-end department stores based in Houston, Texas. It operated from 1902 until 1990. Sakowitz was responsible for launching many of the now-famous European fashion ...
department store moved to a new flagship building at 11th and Main, Palais Royal moved into its rival's old quarters at the next-door landmark Gulf Building, 708 Main Street, in 1953.
In 1969, when Neiman Marcus moved its Houston store from 614 Main (
Kirby Lofts
The Kirby Lofts is an 11-story building at 917 Main Street in Downtown Houston, Texas, currently consisting of apartments with retail on the ground floor, originally built in 1926 and designed by Alfred C. Finn, a noted Houston-based architect. Hi ...
) to what would become
The Galleria
The Galleria, stylized theGalleria and also known as the Houston Galleria, is an upscale mixed-use urban development and shopping mall located in the Uptown District of Houston, Texas, United States.
Expansion
As their sales and popularity continued to grow, Palais Royal began an expansion; and opened their first branch location in the Rice Village area of Houston in 1950. This was followed with the first location outside of the Houston city limits, in suburban
Pasadena, Texas
Pasadena () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Harris County. It is part of the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 151,950, making it the 23rd most populous city in Texas and the second mos ...
in 1952.
1955 brought additional branch stores to the northwestern
Spring Branch, Houston
Spring Branch is a district in west-northwest Harris County, Texas, Harris County, Texas, United States, roughly bordered by Tanner Road and Hempstead Road to the north, Beltway 8 to the west, Interstate 10 (Texas), Interstate 10 to the south, a ...
neighborhood; and also to the
Meyerland, Houston
Meyerland is a community in southwest Houston, Texas, outside of the 610 Loop and inside Beltway 8. The neighborhood is named after the Meyer family, who bought and owned 6,000 acres (24 km) of land in southwest Houston.
Meyerland is t ...
area. The Oak Forest area of Houston gained their own local branch in 1960.
By 1960, Palais Royal had successfully expanded and grown into a company with six stores in the
Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
area, and one store in
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...
. In addition to the Palais Royal stores, Palais Royal also operated two stores under the Worth's name in
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston (city ...
, and one Worth's store in
Orange, Texas
Orange is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Texas, United States. The population was 19,324 at the 2020 census. It is the easternmost city in Texas, located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, and is from Houston. ...
.
Upon Erlich's death in 1968, Palais Royal was still expanding, and Erlich had announced plans to construct three more stores. His surviving widow, Moselle Erlich (Pollack), took over the presidency of Palais Royal. She was elected chairman in 1979, and relinquished her former post to Bernard Fuchs.
Bernard Fuchs was responsible for overseeing Palais Royal during their greatest period of growth, including the $300 million purchase of the 152 store
Bealls (Texas-based department store)
Bealls was a Texan chain of department stores, owned by Stage Stores Inc. and headquartered in Houston, Texas.
The store specialized in retailing desirable brand name apparel, accessories, cosmetics, footwear, and housewares.
On May 11, 202 ...
chain. The combined company was renamed Specialty Retailers. The continued success of Specialty Retailers allowed them to purchase the Fashion Bar/Stage chain of 76 stores in 1992. In 1994 the name of the company was changed to
Stage Stores
Stage Stores was a department store company specializing in retailing off-price brand name apparel, accessories, cosmetics, footwear, and housewares throughout the United States. Stores were usually located in shopping malls and centers or in st ...
.
The stores were bought by
Wellan's
Wellan's is a defunct chain of American department store formerly headquartered in Alexandria, Louisiana.
History
Beginnings
Wellan's Department Store started as a small store on Second Street in Alexandria and was founded by Louis Wellan. It h ...
of
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat and largest city of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River of the South, Red River ...
in 1985.
In 2019, it was announced that parent company Stage Stores Inc planned to convert all Palais Royal stores to the
Gordmans
Gordmans (stylized as gordmans) was a retailer founded in Omaha, Nebraska. The chain is owned by BrandX as of May 2022. In 2019, Stage Stores began converting other retail chains it owned into Gordmans stores, with the goal of having 700 Gordman ...
banner, along with Stage Stores' other chains.
On May 10, 2020, Stage announced it had filed for
Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
, and that it would liquidate all locations, Palais Royal and
Gordmans
Gordmans (stylized as gordmans) was a retailer founded in Omaha, Nebraska. The chain is owned by BrandX as of May 2022. In 2019, Stage Stores began converting other retail chains it owned into Gordmans stores, with the goal of having 700 Gordman ...
included, unless a buyer could be found for the chain. No buyer had been found, and going out of business sales had begun at all locations. By September 2020, all stores were closed.