Retail in Retrospect: Back-To-Scool Trifecta
By Sandi Butler Hughes
Casual Corner
The original Casual Corner opened in 1958 downtown at 43 S. Main at Monroe by Milton Brenner. He was a visionary who saw the coming change from a more formal style to informal, casual. He combined country club style with junior sportswear to capitalize on button-downs, blue jeans, and the super popular “preppy” look. The shop at 1711 Union Avenue opened in 1969, on the day astronauts first walked on the moon. For 30 years that location was one of six Memphis stores at Poplar/Perkins, and mall locations were Kirby Woods, Raleigh Springs, and Hickory Ridge. When the Brenner family sold Casual Corner in 1988, they had amassed 22 stores in four states. The conglomerate who bought the business grew it to a chain with 1,200 stores, and included the Petite Sophisticate and August Max stores adding Casual Corner stores in the Mall of Memphis, Wolfchase Galleria, and the Belz Factory Outlet Mall in Lakeland. But it was not able to compete with the new “mall brands” of Banana Republic, Gap, and department stores. The beloved Union Avenue store closed in 1999 with more closures in mall stores until the final decline, liquidation and closing. In the boom-time of preppy style, Casual Corner was described as attracting “fashion crazed college girls who hit them like locusts,” grabbing corduroys, oxford button-down shirts, shetland sweaters which were the essentials for school style.
Mam'selle
A couple of blocks west of Casual Corner, Mam’selle was another shop frequented for back-to-school shopping. Born in Caruthersville, Missouri, It was the dream of Bettye Schopfer to open a retail clothing store in Memphis, and her dream came true in the early 1950s when she opened her first Mam’selle at 1543 Union Avenue. She expanded locations to include mall stores at Kirby Woods, Southbrook, Hickory Ridge, and Mall of Memphis. She was a very astute entrepreneur at a time that was more difficult for women in the business world, and she even attracted the attention of none other than Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson. Bettye partnered with Kemmons when she made the savvy decision to franchise the Mam’selle concept with stores throughout the Southeast. One of those first franchises was in Jackson, Tennessee, opening in 1973 on the Highway 45 Bypass. Bettye leaned on her knack for fashionable looks, and she was masterful at distinctive merchandising. She was also very active in community events. In researching the newspaper archives, Mam’selle is noted as participating in numerous fashion shows including the original Memphis Fashion Week and Southern Cotton Association. In 1963 Mam’selle provided the clothes for the first Ladies Day Luncheon at the University Club, as well as the Ladies Day luncheons at Colonial Country Club, the Rivermont Club and many other social clubs and charity events. Bettye’s legacy of a locally-owned retail shop continues today at the Mam’selle store, still operating in Jackson on Vann Drive, and dressing ladies in the latest trends.
Pappagallo
When it opened, the official name was the Shop for Pappagallo, but it was always “Pappagallo” and one of the best shops for back-to-school. Sally Gibson Thieman opened Pappagallo in 1969 at 59 S. Idlewild in a charming yellow bungalow. It was just off Union Avenue, across the street from Helen of Memphis, and Pappagallo appealed to the daughters of the Helen of Memphis’ shoppers. Do you remember the wooden handle purse, with four buttons and interchangeable covers? Or the canvas espadrille? Those were some of the Pappagallo popular must-haves for high school and college-age girls! Sally added a second location on Erin Drive in East Memphis. Two sisters, Cheryl Walker and Dana Driver, were regular shoppers, then employees, and eventually bought both stores in 1988. “We always shopped at Casual Corner, Mam’selle, and Pappagallo when we were growing up, and we had a love for clothes,” recalls Dana. “Working for Sally, we learned from the best. It was a great opportunity for us,” Cheryl said. In 1992, they made the hard decision to close the Idlewild location and focus on East Memphis and Germantown stores. The shops were a mainstay for decades, but the sisters realized a major change was needed to remain competitive in the retail business. In 2010 Pappagallo morphed into Sorelle Boutique, eventually settling into the space at Poplar and Massey where it remains today. Since 2022, Sorelle has been owned by Brittany McCalla and offers great looks for Gen Z, Millennials, as well as the Boomers who remember shopping at the original midtown Pappagallo.
Retail in Retrospect Back-To-School Trifecta