The J. Peterman Co. may have become known to the masses when Elaine on the popular TV sitcom “Seinfeld” went to work at a parodied version of the eclectic catalog company.
But J. Peterman had long been known to upscale shoppers with a literary bent, those who enjoyed the catalog’s flowery descriptions of retro-inspired dresses and jackets that invoked settings from novels by Ernest Hemingway or Somerset Maugham.
Ironically, widespread fame turned out to be the kiss of death for J. Peterman. Its newfound notoriety prompted founder John Peterman to embark on a rapid campaign of retail store openings that soon resulted in a bankruptcy filing.
But there’s going to be a last call for J. Peterman fans at Navy Pier. From March 31 through April 5, the Apparel Designer Zone, a California retail liquidation firm, is holding a giant sale of J. Peterman merchandise from last fall and winter with price cuts ranging from 60 percent to 80 percent.
The 50,000 items for sale will be a mixture of women’s and men’s apparel as well as home accessories. In the J. Peterman world that includes everything from khaki pants to Japanese kimonos to men’s hats. Admission to the sale is $2.
Another life: The story of J. Peterman isn’t over yet. The assets of the company were purchased for $10 million in a surprise bid from Paul Harris Stores Inc., the moderate-priced women’s apparel chain based in Indianapolis.
It isn’t exactly clear what Paul Harris plans to do with J. Peterman going forward. That strategy is still evolving, Charlotte G. Fischer, CEO of Paul Harris, told us Friday.
Fischer admits she was more interested in J. Peterman’s 12 retail stores than the catalog, which is where the company began. But she promises to protect the brand.
“We’re going to keep it as a separate subsidiary and run it much the way it has been. J. Peterman is one of the top brands in the world,” she said.
Still, it won’t be easy-going. J. Peterman’s 500 employees were let go after the company filed for bankruptcy. None of the top creative people at J. Peterman are working for Paul Harris now, although that could change, Fischer said.
A final decision on whether to revive the defunct J. Peterman catalog hasn’t been made, she said.
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New store: Meanwhile, Paul Harris is making a splash in Chicago with a new flagship store at 430 N. Michigan Ave. in the Realtor Building.
The new store, which had a soft opening March 20, is key to Fischer’s efforts to transform Paul Harris into a brand, the kind of evolution that moved Gap Inc. from being a seller of khaki pants to an icon of popular culture.
The new store is twice as large as a typical Paul Harris store and is divided into lifestyle areas such as career, casual and after-work.
“This is the future of the company. We are providing (our customer) with her full lifestyle,” Fischer said.
Following in the footsteps of Gap is an ambitious goal. But Fischer already has shown her leadership skills since joining the company in 1994, two years after Paul Harris was mired in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
One of her smartest moves: doing away with a policy that required sales associates to lock shoppers in dressing rooms to cut down on shoplifting.
Strolling the avenue: It’s spring in Chicago, officially at least. So that means art is popping up in the windows of boutiques along Oak Street and N. Michigan Avenue.
For the second year running, the creative work of fine arts students at the School of the Art Institute will be displayed along with merchandise by tony retailers such as Sulka and Salvatore Ferragamo.
The kickoff for ArtWalk/ArtWindow is this weekend, March 27-28.