Pizitz

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Pizitz
Type	Department store
Founded	1899 Birmingham, Alabama
Headquarters	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 1986, and all former Pizitz stores became McRae's. Many of the former Pizitz former locations are now closed, but the Pizitz family still owns the building 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.

[edit] Former locations

Bessemer - Westlake Mall - opened in former Loveman's; mall torn down
Birmingham

downtown flagship
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, Belk 2006
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

[edit] 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.