Empowered women created a significant impact at the helm of our favorite department stores.

Imagine yourself in the bustling streets of New York City during the 1940s. You're navigating the crowd, pushing a stroller, with a purse slung over your shoulder and stylish wide-legged trousers, inspired by Katharine Hepburn. You walk with purpose. Why? You're off to your go-to department store, Lord & Taylor, for shopping and beyond. You drop off your child at the nursery, enjoy lunch with friends, buy a steak for dinner, and even get a haircut. All around you are other empowered women, from the makeup aisle to home goods. Is this just a fantasy? Or was it reality?

Long ago, department stores were more than shopping venues; they offered women a sense of authority that was scarce in other areas of life. In her book, When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion, Julie Satow explores the historic department stores and the remarkable women who made them thrive, featuring three trailblazers who opened doors for future generations.

SHOPPING, SISTERHOOD, AND SALARIES

“Women were often restricted to not even walking on sidewalks without a male escort, yet department stores created a space for them to gather, shop, and embrace this new trend of window shopping, all while having their own funds,” Satow explains.

Where did they find the means? Many earned their income working in these very stores. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in 1920, 8 million women made up 20% of the workforce. Most were employed in sales at department stores. For them, the job offered a significant chance to advance.

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“Store owners prioritized training for their employees,” Satow shares. “Women had the chance to take accounting classes to improve their financial skills. They received support to enhance their service to clients.” Satow recounts a story of a woman who began as a “dust girl” in a San Francisco store. “By her twenties, she was the primary breadwinner for her family,” Satow notes. “She moved them from the Mission District to an upscale home and traveled to Paris as a buyer. It was an incredible opportunity for women.”

REVOLUTIONARY RETAILERS OPEN DOORS

For many women, their job at a department store was their first role outside the home. This was true for Hortense Odlum, the first female president of the now-defunct Bonwit Teller Department Store in New York City. Just as her husband prepared to close the store during the Great Depression, Hortense turned its fortunes around by applying her insights about women and their shopping habits. She transformed the complaints department into client services and relocated the hat section to the front of the store (a popular item in those days, as seen in Maisel, Midge).

“With her background as a shopper and a mother, she identified several areas for improvement,” Satow explains. “She began assisting and soon became the first woman president of a significant Fifth Avenue department store.”

Her keen intuition and focus on customer experience led to remarkable successes for Bonwit Teller. At the height of her career, Odlum managed a business valued at $200 million today, along with 1,500 employees.

Still, as many women can attest, balancing a growing career and personal life can be daunting. This challenge ultimately led Odlum to resign her position. “Imagine how tough it is today to juggle everything correctly,” Satow reflects. “Back then, support systems were minimal… meaning it was even more difficult.”

THE MODERN WORKING WOMAN: A CONTINUOUS LEGACY

Satow authored her book while at home during the pandemic with her young children. During that time, she faced her own work-life balance issues. Yet, she found inspiration in the stories of the women she researched. “I didn’t recognize the historical continuum we’re part of,” she shares. “That realization was both motivating and empowering.”

Empowering, motivating, and also strikingly similar. While strides have been made, thanks in part to the women highlighted in Satow's work, many of the challenges they faced still resonate today, reminding us of the journey ahead.

“An article from 1932 in Good Housekeeping titled 'Marriage or Career' featured interviews with successful women, including Dorothy Shaver, discussing whether they could maintain a career while married. It felt incredibly relevant and contemporary,” Satow remarks.