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Smaller stores and a more intense focus on the clothing needs of working women are in the future for Paul Harris Stores Inc., company chairman Gerald Paul told stockholders at the annual meeting last week.
The Indianapolis-based women's clothing retailer has experienced dramatic growth in the past two years, opening 18 stores in 1984 and 35 in 1985. It also launched its Pasta line of leisure apparel in 1985, which has caught on quickly.
"Our business is basically geared to the career businesswoman," Paul said. "We dissected that and created Pasta. It was an idea and an expression of a focus on leisurewear. It was more successful than we anticipated."
Two Pasta boutiques were opened in 1985, one in Indianapolis' Claypool Shoppes and one in a suburban Philadelphia mall. Six more have been opened so far in 1986, and Paul Harris plans to have 20 or 21 in operation by the end of the year.
Most of the Paul Harris stores, located mainly in shopping malls, also feature Pasta clothing. But...