As the world turns it’s eyes to Paris for the 2024 summer games, there is a rich history tying Paris to the Electric City. The Paris Department Store has a legacy of bringing part of Parisian elegance to Montana over a century ago.
Great Falls, Mont. – In a recent study, RushOrderTees.com used Google search data for fashion-related keywords across the United States, and Great Falls ranks as one of the least fashion-obsessed cities in the U.S. – standing 243rd out of 249.
While Great Falls isn’t exactly setting trends today, that wasn’t the case many years ago.
As the world turns its eyes to Paris for the 2024 summer games, there is a rich history tying Paris to the Electric City.
The Paris Department Store has a legacy of bringing part of Parisian elegance to Montana over a century ago.
In the heart of downtown Great Falls stands an iconic building but if you don’t know it, you might just walk on by.
This building at Central Ave and 4th Street N. has deep historical roots and a unique connection to the fashion capitol of the world.
“The Paris Department Store was a partnership between two businessmen that dates back to 1894,” said Ashleigh McCann, Collections Curator with the Great Falls History Museum.
Much like grand department stores of the past, The Paris featured everything from women’s and men’s fashion to sporting goods to jewelry and more.
But what set it apart was its strong ties to Paris, France…
“They really set the standard for central Montana,” said McCann.
The store owners frequently traveling to do business research ensuring they imported the finest fashions.
“Paris, France has had the reputation of being the fashion capital of the world since the 1600s. So for these guys to set up in Great Falls, Montana, which I’m not sure if it’s been considered the fashion capital of Montana, but for them to pick a name like The Paris of Montana, ooh, that gets a lot of eyeballs on Great Falls. And that’s like, ooh, Paris. That kind of Parisian quality here. I should shop at this department store,” said McCann.
This connection was more than just a marking strategy, it really embodied their commitment to bringing high quality fashion to Great Falls.
“They chose to use the name ‘The Paris of Montana’. And what that meant for the store was that, like Paris, France is the fashion capital of the world. The Paris of Montana set the standard for fashion in Montana,” said McCann.
“I went to The Paris, and I walked in that store, and it was like walking into a completely different world. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” recalled Inge Buchholz, owner of Inge’s Fashions.
The Paris Department Store had three different locations in the electric city over the years; The store first operated at 419 Central until relocation in 1914 to the McKnight building at 307 Central.
They were in that building until 1919, when it burned down in a catastrophic fire.
“After that, there’s this great ad that says, you know, we hear what you want. You want to fine department store, you want the highest of fashions and you want a fireproof building. So that’s when they built that building that we see today that’s on central and fourth street,” said McCann.
Construction on a new Paris began in 1928 and finished in 1929.
In 1973, The Paris Department Store also enjoyed a moment of fame on the big screen, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot starring none other than Clint Eastwood.
“They have a stunt where a car drives through a store front window, and that’s The Paris,” said McCann, “Back when they’re interviewing everybody, Clint Eastwood says, you know, more people were asking me about when the window stunt happened than anything about myself. It was a little ego shattering.”
A few years after the movie in 1978, the store was sold and renamed The Bon Marché; They closed in 1998, and it now stands as a high-tech capable property that is ready for lease.
While The Paris might not be in business today, there is a host of other places downtown continuing to put fashion first in the Electric City, including Dragon Fly Dry Goods, The Blue Rose, Kaufman’s Menswear, and Inge’s Fashions (just to name a few).
“I come from Europe and of course the European fashion is way ahead of us. But I love Great Falls and whatever happens here is fine with me,” said Buchholz, “It’s all up to each individual and what you prefer yourself and what you feel comfortable in. That’s my motto. Wear what you feel comfortable in but yet stay on the fashionable side a little bit too.”
As the world celebrates the 2024 summer games in Paris, France, Great Falls can take pride in its historical connection to the fashion capital, remembering a time when Great Falls was the Paris of Montana bringing Parisian elegance to the west.
“It’s cool to see that these business guys had the sense to say, okay, our department store is going to be the capital and the standard, just like Paris, France,” said McCann.
While the store is long gone, the memory remains alive and well at the History Museum in Great Falls.
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