Stylish Décor Tailor-Made to Suit All Taste
Transcription
Stylish Décor Tailor-Made to Suit All Taste
in the office 14 S tory by Caro l Crisse y N igrel l i • Photo by m inorwhitest u dios .co m B2B Omaha Magazine • Summer 2012 www.OmahaPublications.com Dav i d Pa r sow, t h e s e co n d - g e n e r at i o n ow n e r of t h e r e g e n c y cou r t c l ot h i e r . Parsow’s Stylish décor tailor-made to suit all tastes Y ou could say Parsow’s has its ducks in a row. Dozens upon dozens of hand-carved duck decoys obediently line up single-file high atop the thick wooden beams that trim the walls of the upscale men’s and women’s clothier. “My dad was an avid collector, and not just of fine clothes,” explained David Parsow, referring to his late father, Sol, who founded the Regency Court clothing store 60 years ago this year. “The decoys are the first things he collected.” Somewhere above the sweater table the wooden decoys meet up with their flesh-and-feathered brethren: ducks and pheasants forever preserved, trophies of a successful hunt. “My dad loved to hunt small birds and game. And he loved to fish. You see a lot of the fish he caught mounted on the walls.” David points to a crappie and, above a dressing room, a smallmouth bass. A painting of the Parsow family’s first www.ReadOnlineNow.com Brittany Spaniel rests on a display case. “That’s Freckles number one. We had four Brittany Spaniels growing up. They were all named Freckles,” said David with a grin. “I have a Brittany Spaniel now, but it’s not named Freckles.” Where did a young man from New York City learn to love the outdoors? “Dad actually grew up near Cleveland, which is where he probably learned to fish and hunt,” said David. “He moved to New York later. That’s where he fell in love with clothes.” And Omaha is where Sol fell in love with Lee Jane Greenberg, whom he met while stationed here during World War II. He returned to Omaha after the war, married the love of his life, started his family, and opened up his first store in March of 1952 at 16th and Farnam, next door to the Orpheum Theater. A black-and-white photo of the original Parsow’s, strictly a men’s store at that time, hangs near the front counter. “Dad met all the acts that appeared at the Orpheum—singers, dancers, bands. They’d come in and shop. He always had the best quality menswear.” By 1963, Sol followed the migration west and built a new, bigger store at 36th and Farnam, across from the Blackstone Hotel. Comedian Shecky Green, one of many celebrities who stayed at the Blackstone, became a lifelong friend of the Parsow family. Liberace also left his mark. “Liberace came into the shop and drew the most beautiful, elaborate picture of a piano with a candelabra on it right on the dressing room wall,” related David, smiling. “When Dad moved to Regency Court in 1975, he cut out the wall and brought the drawing here.” But don’t ask David if you can see the flamboyant pianist’s artwork. “You can’t. I don’t know where it is,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I know it’s here somewhere, but there’s so much stuff stored here I can’t find it.” The success of Sol’s clothing enterprise enabled him to travel and see the world. And he brought much of the world back with him. When you walk into Parsow’s and look up, it’s hard to tell if you’ve entered a hunting lodge, a Viking’s lair, or a woodcarver’s shop. A caribou head hangs over a custom-built fireplace. Huge chandeliers made of antlers >> B2B Omaha Magazine • Summer 2012 15 in the office << and electric candles dominate the ceiling. Pictures of hunting dogs, their quarry, and guns dot the walls. Then, abruptly, the hunting motif shifts gears. “As clothing changed frequently, so did Dad’s collections,” said David, the president of Parsow’s. “He went from the decoys to the antique weapons.” Sol’s weapon collection, mounted onto the wood beams throughout the store’s “seven and a half” rooms, as Sol was fond of saying, includes swords, sabres, epees, and rapiers with their complex and ornate hilts. An ancient metal shield, forged from iron and posed beside a huge, mean-looking pick axe, adds contrast to the smaller and more delicate knives and daggers, some protected in goldplated sheaths. Delicate knives and steady hands created the impressive array of wooden figurines placed close together along the ceiling toward the back of the store. Acquired during Sol’s many travels to all corners of the earth, they add a touch of whimsy to the eclectic décor, though Sol never bought anything on a whim. He found beauty in many different forms and had the means to share them with his family and his cherished customers. Two framed European tapestries, a counter made of stained glass, a large antique hutch in every room, antique straight chairs with embossed leather, and a collection of walking sticks with ornately carved handles make Parsow’s an experience that transcends buying a custom-tailored suit. “Everything in here is like a house. That was his idea,” said David. “He didn’t want just one big, open store with racks and racks and racks.” That may explain why David’s personal collection is hidden behind several cabinets high off the floor. He has amassed about 90,000 comic books. Marvel comic books. One in particular he keeps protected in a plastic case. “August of 1962. This is the first appearance of Spider-Man. I bought it for a dime at the Salvation Army on 24th Street when I was 8 years old. It’s worth about $14,000 now.” And, like his father, David’s joy comes from sharing his passion with a loyal customer base that remembers the past and appreciates what Parsow’s means to the Omaha community. 16 B2B Omaha Magazine • Summer 2012 www.OmahaPublications.com Welcome College World Series fans! Come in and watch the games in style and comfort. Rent out Havana for your next special occasion. Full or partial rentals available as well as the Bodega (free wifi). Featuring live music on Friday & Saturday from 9pm to midnight, exceptional cigars, and an extensive selection of fine wine, ports, domestic and imported beer, single malt scotch, single barrel bourbon and rum. 402-614-3800 [email protected] New this year Immediate on-site sales! Reserve your booth TODAY The region's premier business-to-business trade show just got better. Oct. 17, 2012 CenturyLink Center Omaha – Exhibit Hall C 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. BuyTheBigOShow.com www.ReadOnlineNow.com B2B Omaha Magazine • Summer 2012 17