Pizitz

Infobox_Company
company_name = Pizitz
company_
company_type = Department store
foundation = 1899 Birmingham, Alabama
location = Birmingham, Alabama
industry = Retail
products = Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares.

Pizitz was a major regional department store chain in Alabama, with its flagship store in downtown Birmingham. At its peak it operated 12 other stores, mostly in the Birmingham area with several locations in Huntsville and other Alabama cities.

The chain was founded as the Louis Pizitz Dry Goods Co. in 1899 on the site of its flagship building in downtown Birmingham. It was sold to McRae's in December 1986, and all former Pizitz stores became McRae's. Many of the former Pizitz former locations are now closed, but the Pizitz family (via Pizitz Management Group) still owns the buildings of most of its former stores. This became an issue when the McRae's chain was sold to Belk Department Stores of Charlotte, North Carolina in 2005.

Former locations

*Bessemer - Westlake Mall - opened in former Loveman's; mall torn down
*Birmingham:*downtown flagship — earliest store 1899, newer building at 19th Street & 2nd Avenue opened 1923; McRae's 1987, closed 1988, vacant:*Century Plaza - opened in former Loveman's; McRae's 1987, Belk 2006; closed 2006, vacant:*Colonial Brookwood Village - McRae's 1987, Parisian 2002, Belk 2007:*Eastwood Mall - opened 1966, closed with opening of Century Plaza store; later Service Merchandise until 1999, mall torn down 2007:*Five Points West - closed 1980s, vacant:*Roebuck Shopping City - McRae's 1987, closed 2006:*Western Hills Mall - opened in former Loveman's; McRae's 1987, Parisian 1999, closed 2005, now Burlington Coat Factory
*Florence - Regency Square Mall - McRae's 1987, Parisian Men's & Home 2006, Belk Men's & Home 2007
*Gadsden - Gadsden Mall - McRae's 1987, Parisian 2006, re-located Belk 2007
*Huntsville:*Parkway Place (formerly Parkway City Mall) - McRae's 1987, torn down for redevelopment of mall:*Madison Square Mall - McRae's 1987, Belk 2006, closed 2007 as Belk relocated to former Parisian in mall
*Hoover - Riverchase Galleria - McRae's 1987, closed 2005, upper level now Belk Home 2007
*Montgomery - Eastdale Mall - McRae's 1987, Parisian Women's 1998, Belk Women's 2007
*Tuscaloosa - University Mall - became McRae's 1987, now Belk Men's & Children's

References

* Hollis, Tim (2005) "Birmingham's Theater and Retail District". Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0738517771
* White, Marjorie Longenecker, ed (1977) "Downtown Birmingham: Architectural and Historical Walking Tour Guide". Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society.

External links

* [http://www.birminghamrewound.com/pizitz.htm Pizitz memories] at "Birmingham Rewound".
* [http://bplonline.cdmhost.com/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p4017coll6&CISOPTR=1460&REC=20 View of Pizitz interior] at the Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections