RIP, Parisian

A kid in the stands at the ball park was pulling homework out of his backpack when a vintage pencil emblazoned with PARISIAN rolled out of his book and onto the ground. All of us moms gasped and recoiled as if we had seen a ghost. The kid grabbed the pencil and shuffled off to study, but we sat in painful silence until someone finally sighed, “Good ol’ Parisian.”

That was all it took. “Remember Bargain Days?” chimed in one mom.

“I’ve still got some of their Parisian Signature brand clothes,” offered another, with a hint of sadness.

“My sister brought her Christmas gifts in an old Parisian shopping bag last year!” cried one mom indignantly. We all understood that it wasn’t that the bag was old, but that it would be so painful to be reminded that there is no Parisian any longer. We need closure.

So I am going to lead the women of Birmingham in a eulogy for our dearly departed Parisian. We simply must let it go. For one thing, it’s been gone for years now. (What is it about us Southerners that just cannot release the past?)

For another, Belk has been a wonderful part of the community, expanding the shoe department at the Summit and providing essential sponsorships and venues. This fondness for Parisian is no reflection on Belk (although I don’t recall Parisian carrying quite so much polyester – maybe that’s because  the grandma demographic also shops Petites).

Join me, ladies:

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to pay tribute to Parisian, our shopping alma mater. Parisan was the place that brought us much anticipated Bargain Days and the Top Ten Must Haves.  A place where we were Somebody Special.

Like Scarlett, we always wanted to know what the ladies of Paris were wearing. Parisian gave us that. As Harrod’s is to London, as Barney’s is to NYC, and Gump’s to San Fransisco, such was Parisian to we ladies of Birmingham. We loved the polished floors, the sophisticated ads, even the perfume counter smell. And let’s not forget the interest-free revolving credit.

But all these things have passed on, relics of another time. In retrospect, we might have known that the merger with Saks 5th Avenue was not going to work. The Manhattanites were never going to be happy headquarted in Birmingham, and we bear them no malice. We must not forget that this all happened before we had Railroad Park or an Einstein Bagel downtown.

So we bow our heads for a moment, saddened that our daughters will not know the thrill of taking a long lunch during Bargain Days. Even so, we have much to be thankful for, because we have known the joys of hearing the hangers click as we slapped through them. We have known Clinique Bonus Events with our girlfriends. We purchased foundation garments in the youthful days before we truly required extra Foundation.

Perhaps most of all, we have known a no-interest revolving account that shall never be known in our lifetime again.

Rest in Peace, Parisian.