My Business Life Cycle: How Innovation, Evolution, and Determination Made Paul Harris Great

What happened to Montgomery Ward, L.S. Ayers, Gimbels, Wanamaker’s, and Marshall Fields? And what happened to the Paul Harris Stores? They were all casualties of the retail store battles in which the life expectancy is twenty years or less. Wal-Mart is going strong now but will it have to merge with a rival later like Sears did with K-Mart to survive. Time will tell. Paul Harris Stores brought fashion, comfort, style, and functionality to millions of women in the Midwest. Instead of flying to New York City, Midwest women could drive to their local malls in Ohio and Indiana to get the latest style. Gerald Paul, the brains behind Paul Harris Stores, understood what women wanted to wear and was able to deliver during the chain’s fifty year run. Paul’s life is about American culture, retail history, and a brand of entrepreneurship that appears to be making a comeback. The business cycle of Paul Harris Stores provides a first-hand glimpse into the inner workings of specialty retail. More than a guide, however, My Business Life Cycle is the story of dreams and individual accomplishments. The journey of Gerald Paul is the Horatio Alger story, the great American story of success, success that ultimately ended.