In 1962, George W. Kutsunis, a recent Augustana College graduate, was working at John Deere. But retailing was in George’s blood, and he had a desire to start a business of his own. George came from a long line of retailers, as his father, William Kutsunis, had owned and operated the Leader Store in downtown Geneseo for many years.
On April 17, 1962, George opened the Merry-GoRound Store at 104 South State Street, Geneseo, Illinois. George later noted, “The first day, I didn’t have a single customer in the store until 11:00 a.m. My total sales for the day were $120.00. I was the only employee, I washed the windows, hung all of the merchandise, ticketed, and rang the register.”
Over the years, George opened stores in Davenport, Iowa; Princeton, Illinois; Peoria, Illinois; and Iowa City, Iowa.
In 1978, George hired a spokesperson named Mary Best. Mary was one of the first RCA Color Girls featured pm the first color television sets. Geoge created the character name Sophie and featured her in local commercials. Her iconic “Tell em Sophie sent you” was known throughout the entire region. This marketing campaign really put Four Seasons on the map for high quality ladies apparel.
On April 12, 1992, Linda Kutsunis opened Pegasus Fine Gifts. In the heart of the Geneseo Downtown District, Pegasus is a beautiful and curated collection of gifts & décor. We also make our own-in-store Fudge featuring featuring 20 flavors every day! Recently we added a Hallmark Gold Crown Department and a Coffee & Espresso Bar.
In 1992, George & Linda’s daughter, Katie Kutsunis became an active member of the family business. Her contributions include day-today management of 7 stores & opening of our newest location, Galesburg, Illinois. Katie has also recently become the spokesperson for the company creating daily videos promoting our product.
61 years later, we continue to grow and change. We pride ourselves on providing the latest Petite, Missy, and Plus fashions, along with the small-town customer service we are founded on.