Maurice Solomon Julian & Mary Lily Brady Julian
Few people have done more to keep local residents looking sharp than the Julian family. From a storefront on Franklin Street, Mary and Maurice Julian built a family business and established a stylish standard - both of which continue today. Maurice, from Massachusetts, Class of ’38, first opened Julian’s Cyclery. Before joining the U.S. Army, the enterprising entrepreneur opened Julian’s College Shop at 140 East Franklin Street. He became the renowned fashion “Dean of Franklin Street.” Mary became the beloved “Head Coach.” When Maurice and Mary wed in 1947, he suggested she could help run the shop. Initially hesitant, she instantly became an integral part of the operation. The couple formed a true partnership and created a unique and genuine specialty store that became a true and lasting Chapel Hill tradition.
Maurice’s taste and creativity were nationally acknowledged; he and Mary were the “Godparents of Preppy.” If he suggested you try something on, you did. He designed the first Old Well tie. His intelligent, aspirational good taste appealed to almost everyone, from
freshmen to fraternities to alumni regulars like Frank Porter Graham, Bill Friday, Charles Kuralt, Andy Griffith, Hugh McColl, and thousands more. The store became a Franklin Street icon - a gathering place. Maurice and Mary mentored many other downtown business owners, while at the same time being quietly, generously philanthropic.
Maurice counseled his children to pursue “easier” occupations, but his daughter, Missy, and son, Alex, ended up working in the business they grew up in. When Maurice passed in ’93, Missy and husband Michael Fox stepped into the role of running the business until 2006, when she became director of the UNC Visitors Center. Alex and his wife, Meagan, then expanded the store at 135 East Franklin Street. Alex used to watch his designer father closely and developed his own ideas and aesthetic. Julian’s was the training ground for the
award-winning and internationally acclaimed furniture and fashion designer Alexander Julian.
For their long-standing love of UNC and Chapel Hill, for their devotion to Franklin Street, and for creating a bastion of sartorial good taste, we are proud to induct Maurice Solomon Julian and Mary Lily Brady Julian to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame.
Maurice’s taste and creativity were nationally acknowledged; he and Mary were the “Godparents of Preppy.” If he suggested you try something on, you did. He designed the first Old Well tie. His intelligent, aspirational good taste appealed to almost everyone, from
freshmen to fraternities to alumni regulars like Frank Porter Graham, Bill Friday, Charles Kuralt, Andy Griffith, Hugh McColl, and thousands more. The store became a Franklin Street icon - a gathering place. Maurice and Mary mentored many other downtown business owners, while at the same time being quietly, generously philanthropic.
Maurice counseled his children to pursue “easier” occupations, but his daughter, Missy, and son, Alex, ended up working in the business they grew up in. When Maurice passed in ’93, Missy and husband Michael Fox stepped into the role of running the business until 2006, when she became director of the UNC Visitors Center. Alex and his wife, Meagan, then expanded the store at 135 East Franklin Street. Alex used to watch his designer father closely and developed his own ideas and aesthetic. Julian’s was the training ground for the
award-winning and internationally acclaimed furniture and fashion designer Alexander Julian.
For their long-standing love of UNC and Chapel Hill, for their devotion to Franklin Street, and for creating a bastion of sartorial good taste, we are proud to induct Maurice Solomon Julian and Mary Lily Brady Julian to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame.