Rochester Hills

Parisian to Carson’s is name change only

By Linda Shepard
C & G Staff Writer

ROCHESTER HILLS — A store name change from Parisian to Carson’s involves little or no change for the department store at the Village of Rochester Hills.

“The only thing that is new is the name,” said store manager Lara Smolinski. “There will be no change in merchandise.”

The store’s parent company, Bon Ton, surveyed local Parisian customers about choosing a new name for the store. Customers chose from several existing Bon Ton store name options, including Yonkers, Elder-Beerman, Carson’s and Bon Ton. “The name they liked the best was Carson’s,” Smolinski said.

Carson’s was formerly known as Carson Pirie Scott. “People in Chicago are very familiar with Carson Pirie Scott,” Smolinski said.

The name change was initiated by an effort to consolidate Bon Ton store names for advertising, she said. Currently, Bon Ton owns 267 stores under several names. “On the east side of Michigan, the name is Yonkers, and on the west side it will be Carson’s,” Smolinski said.

Carson’s customers can use their credit cards to shop at any Bon Ton store and online at www.bonton.com. At press time, installation of the new Carson’s sign was under way. “We had to retrofit the sign to fit the curve of the building,” Smolinski said.

“The sign will change, but nothing else,” said Village of Rochester Hills Marketing Director Shelleen McHale.

McHale said the Village is looking forward to the opening of a new frozen yogurt shop this spring, Yummy Yogurt. “It will be a great addition and has a great location,” McHale said. “It will be right next to Starbucks, facing Festival Park.”

The Village may also see more additions in the near future, McHale said. “There may be some new stores and restaurants starting in the spring,” she said. “We have a fun and interesting year ahead of us.”

The Village of Rochester Hills is located north of Walton Boulevard and Adams Road.

For more information, visit www.thevorh.com.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Linda Shepard at lshepard@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1065.