Palais Royal (department store)

Palais Royal

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Retail (department store)
Founded	1921
Founder	Milton Levy
Defunct	2020
Fate	Liquidation and closure after Stage Stores bankruptcy
Headquarters	Houston , United States
Area served	United States
Products	Clothing, accessories, cosmetics, footwear, household items
Parent	Stage Stores, Inc.

Palais Royal was a U.S.-based department store chain under the ownership of Stage Stores, Inc., with its headquarters located in Houston, Texas. The retailer focused on offering brand-name clothing, accessories, cosmetics, footwear, and household items. Its exclusive product lines featured brands such as Valerie Stevens, Signature Studio, Sun River, Rustic Blue, Rebecca Malone, and Wishful Park.

History

The origins of Palais Royal trace back to 1921 when Milton Levy established a modest store at 620 Main Street in Downtown Houston. Two years later, the business expanded to a location at Main and Capital; however, Levy passed away that same year. In 1937, Isadore Erlich took control of the company by acquiring a majority stake and assumed the role of president, steering the firm through a period of growth.

Flagship store

Throughout its history, Palais Royal’s flagship outlet shifted locations several times within Downtown Houston. Between 1928 and 1953, it was situated at 700–6 Main Street within the Bankers Mortgage Building. When competitor Sakowitz relocated in 1953, Palais Royal moved into Sakowitz’s former space inside the Gulf Building at 708 Main Street. Later in 1969, after Neiman Marcus vacated its premises at The Galleria to relocate, Palais Royal occupied Neiman Marcus’s previous site at 614 Main Street and maintained operations there until its final closure in 2000.

Expansion

Driven by increasing sales, Palais Royal broadened its presence by inaugurating its first branch in Houston’s Rice Village area in 1950, followed by an outlet in suburban Pasadena two years later. By 1955, additional stores had opened in Houston’s Spring Branch and Meyerland districts, with another location added in Oak Forest by 1960.

By the start of the 1960s, Palais Royal operated six stores within the Houston metropolitan region as well as one store in Shreveport, Louisiana. The company also oversaw Worth’s retail outlets located in Beaumont and Orange, Texas. Following Isadore Erlich’s death in 1968, his widow Moselle Erlich assumed leadership as president and subsequently chairman, continuing to drive expansion efforts.

Under the guidance of Bernard Fuchs, Palais Royal underwent significant enlargement, including acquiring the Bealls chain—a network of 152 stores—for $300 million. This merger resulted in the formation of Specialty Retailers, which further expanded by purchasing the Fashion Bar/Stage chain consisting of 76 stores in 1992. The company adopted the name Stage Stores in 1994.

In 1985, Wellan's from Alexandria, Louisiana acquired Palais Royal. By 2019, Stage Stores announced intentions to convert all Palais Royal outlets into Gordmans locations.

On May 10, 2020, Stage Stores filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and declared plans to liquidate all stores unless a buyer was secured. With no purchaser found, liquidation sales commenced and all Palais Royal stores were closed by September of that year.

Store locations

Partial Listing of Palais Royal Store Locations

Location	Address	City	State	Year Opened	Year Closed
Downtown initial site	One-room shop at 620 Main Street	Houston	Texas	1921	relocated 1923
Downtown second site	Corner of Main and Capitol	Houston	Texas	1923	relocated 1926
Downtown third site	Bankers Mortgage Building (700–6 Main Street), now Great Jones Building	Houston	Texas	1926	relocated 1953
Downtown fourth site	Gulf Building (708 Main Street), formerly occupied by Sakowitz	Houston	Texas	1953	relocated 1969
Downtown fifth site	617 Main Street (currently Kirby Lofts)	Houston	Texas	1969	1990
Rice Village branch	2521 University Blvd	Houston	Texas	1950	1990
Pasadena first branch	107 S. Shaver Street	Pasadena	Texas	1952	relocated 1962
Spring Branch branch	8054 Long Point Road	Houston	Texas	1955	closed 1987
Meyerland branch	—	Houston	Texas	1955	closed 2020
Oak Forest branch	1343 W. 43rd St.	Houston	Texas	1960	closed 2010
Pasadena second branch	Pasadena Plaza Mall	Pasadena	Texas	1962	closed1994
Pasadena third branch	Pasadena Town Square Mall	Pasadena	Texas	1982	closed2000
Uptown Houston branch	Post Oak Boulevard at San Felipe Road	Houston	Texas	1963	closed1986
Almeda Mall branch	—	Houston	Texas	1968	closed2020
Northwest Mall branch	—	Houston	Texas	1968	closed2017
Town & Country Village branch	—	Houston	Texas	1969	closed1994

External links

• Archived official site
• Detailed company overview from Reuters