For Immediate Release

Contact: Bob Phillips or Keith Britt
Thompson & Company
(901) 527-8000
or
Andrew J. Groveman
Belz Enterprises
901/260-7278

Carlton Cards Celebrates
Peabody Place Grand Opening

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, May 7, 1998 – Carlton Cards, a retail greeting card and gift shop with 1,700 square feet of space in Peabody Place, officially opened today, marking the occasion with a ribbon cutting and remarks by several dignitaries.

The shop is on the first floor of Pembroke Square, the historic 97-year-old building that once housed Goldsmith’s department store, and faces Main Street.

A gift basket valued at $200 was given away during the event which was attended by officials from the City of Memphis, Shelby County Government and Belz Enterprises, developer of Peabody Place.

The Peabody Place location is the second shop owned and operated by the Cards by Diane Corporation. The firm opened its first Carlton Cards shop in the Southland Mall in October, 1996.

Carlton Cards, a subsidiary of American Greeting, now has five outlets in Memphis. The other three stores are company-owned.

"In addition to a wide selection and assortment of cards, we have many unusual gift items to offer customers," said Diane Rowe, general manager of Cards by Diane. "We have everything from framed art work to collectible figurines."

The collectibles include Giuseppe Armani Art figurines, Sculptures by Elisa, and the Ebony Visions which feature the Thomas Blackshear III Harmony Kingdom Collection. Other items in the shop include stuffed animals, candles, candle holders, liquid candles, gift baskets, wrapping paper, tape, ribbons, paper dinner plates and napkins, wind chimes, and coffee mugs.

Pembroke Square offers between 9,000 to 18,000 square feet per floor of prime downtown office or retail space. The historic Memphis landmark with classic architectural detailing circa 1890, has been beautifully restored. The eight-story building runs the length of Gayoso Avenue between Front Street and the Main Street Mall.

The elegant building with ornate limestone columns, high ceilings and magnificent bay windows has state-of-the-art operating systems and an impressive grand corridor stretching from Main Street to City Grocery, located on the Front Street side of the building.

Peabody Place is the country’s largest mixed-use development, providing apartments, retail, restaurants, entertainment and office space. Peabody Place includes The Tower at Peabody Place, The Gayoso House Apartments, The Apartments at Pembroke Square, Pembroke Square and 50 Peabody Place.

Belz Enterprises plans to break ground this year on the 250,000-square-foot Peabody Place Urban Retail and Entertainment Center, featuring a 23-screen movie complex, an IMAX Theater and retail space.

Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, Belz is a national leader in real estate development. The company owns and manages more than 25 million square feet of industrial warehouse and distribution centers, shopping centers, office buildings, mixed-use centers, and corporate campuses.  Belz also owns a group of premier hotels including the Peabody Hotels in Memphis and Orlando, Florida.

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