by Julie Satow
First published 2024
Julie Satow chronicles the rise of three pioneering businesswomen who dominated America's most prestigious department stores during the twentieth century. The book follows Hortense Odlum, who began as a housewife at Bonwit Teller in the 1930s before taking control of the entire company. Dorothy Shaver revolutionized Lord & Taylor by promoting American designers during World War II, breaking the industry's dependence on Parisian fashion and becoming the first businesswoman to earn over $1.5 million annually. Geraldine Stutz reimagined Henri Bendel in the 1960s, creating a new aesthetic for modern retail while cultivating an elite clientele and inspiring countless imitators. Satow reveals how these department store empires became palaces of consumption where every desire could be fulfilled under one roof. Though men owned the buildings, women controlled the operations inside. The author exposes the personal struggles and business strategies behind these retail dynasties, showing how three very different career women carved new territories in American commerce and created opportunities for generations of women who followed.
Genres: history, 20th-century, business, feminism, biography-memoir, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: career-women, female-empowerment, pioneers
Setting: America, Fifth Avenue, New York
Period: 1930s, 1960s, 20th Century
295 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday