When Women Ruled Fifth Avenue

Many people have heard of Edward Filene, the Bloomingdale Brothers and R. H. Macy — all male founders of department stores.

But Hortense Odlum, Dorothy Shaver and Geraldine Stutz are much less known. These women successfully ran major department stores (Bonwit Teller, Lord & Taylor and Henri Bendel, respectively).

"Men may have owned these stores, but it was the women who understood these businesses and made the engine run," Julie Satow says. That is why she decided to focus on the three women and their individual stories in her latest book, "When Women Ruled Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion."

After the release of "The Plaza," her book about the famous New York City hotel, Satow and her literary agent discussed ideas for her next project. "The subject of department stores seemed like a good one to explore," she says, "but instead of just writing about the stores, I wanted to focus on these relatively unknown women. There is a common thread, but each has a unique story behind her business success."

Years ago, department stores had everything a person could need, all under one roof. "You could go to a department store for clothing and shoes, but you could also get afternoon tea, see a dentist, even take your kid to the zoo," Satow says. "One store even ran a huge publicity campaign where people could come in and adopt a child. Six babies were adopted that day — at a department store!"

In 1933, with the Great Depression in its fourth year, sales were lagging at the department store Bonwit Teller. Floyd Odlum, a major investor, asked his wife Hortense if she would go to the store and look for a way to attract more business. "Floyd believed his wife might have some good insights both as a woman and a shopper," explains Satow.

Hortense Odlum had never held a paying job before she started working at Bonwit Teller. "Hortense was content as a wife, mother and homemaker," says Satow. "She never had any interest in being a career woman. But she went to the store (initially as an unpaid advisor) because her husband asked for her assistance."

No matter why Hortense began her retail career, there is no denying she had a knack for the business. Bonwit Teller thrived after she was named president in October 1934. She understood the customer and rearranged the store's departments to encourage impulse buying. Business doubled in her first two years at the helm.

Despite her business success, Hortense said the only career she wanted was in the home. "Just like many women today, she found it hard to find a balance between working outside the home and taking care of her family," Satow says.

Unlike the boss at Bonwit Teller, Dorothy Shaver always wanted to have a big career. Born and raised in Arkansas, she moved to New York City in 1919 and soon landed a job at Lord & Taylor.

In 1927, at age 34, Shaver was elected to the store's board of directors. When she was named president of the store in 1945, her salary was the highest on record for a woman at the time — comparable to other Lord & Taylor executives but considerably less than what male CEOs at other companies earned.

One of Shaver's initiatives was the concept of personal stylists. "It was Dorothy who spearheaded having a person in the store who could pick items from across the departments and style entire outfits for customers," Satow explains.

Shaver remained president of Lord & Taylor until her death in 1959. She never married, but unlike Odlum she had no regrets about devoting so much to her career. "I'd far rather have a brilliant career than a humdrum married life," Shaver herself said. "There's nothing so dreadful as being bored."

Geraldine Stutz worked as a fashion editor at Glamour magazine before joining Henri Bendel as president in 1959. She remained at the helm for 29 years. In 1980, Stutz also became a managing partner, which gave her an ownership stake in the store; she sold her interest five years later.

"Stutz ran Henri Bendel in the '60s and '70s, making it a fashion destination," Satow says. Frequent customers included Truman Capote's "swans" — the bevy of wealthy society women and international fashion models who formed his coterie.

"Bendel was smaller than most of their competitors, so they had less buying power," Satow explains. "Geraldine had to think outside of the box and get creative. Rather than offer merchandise from the designers bigger stores carried (like Chanel), she introduced customers to new, niche designers such as Sonia Reikel, Perry Ellis and Stephen Burrows."

Bonwit Teller, Henri Bendel and Lord & Taylor all closed their doors in recent years, as have many other department stores. The survivors, like Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue, have had to change radically. "Department stores couldn't afford to keep the amenities as they struggled to lower costs," says Satow. "They also began centralized buying to save money, which meant that stores were no longer as in touch with shoppers in their individual communities."

Competition from discount stores hurt department stores' bottom line. "In 1962, Target, Walmart and Kmart all opened, offering customers discount shopping," Satow says. "As a result, department stores had to cut employee salaries and offer fewer and fewer amenities and services." Some merged with former rivals to try to gain leverage over suppliers and efficiencies in back-office operations. On July 5, for example, Saks owner HBC announced a deal to acquire Neiman Marcus for $2.65 billion.

As all of these changes took hold, shopping became less of an all-inclusive experience for shoppers. "Fast forward to now and people don't even need to get dressed to go shopping," says Satow. "They can wear their pajamas and shop online."

While researching her book, Satow was inspired by all three of the women executives she writes about.

"These women faced so many challenges, yet they were able to rise to the top of their profession," she says. "Each one made important contributions. They all had to navigate a male-dominated workplace, and each did so uniquely.

"Today, women still face difficulties, including pay disparities," continues Satow. "But we (stand) on the shoulders of these women. All three are role models for today's modern working women, so I am happy to have an opportunity to tell their not-so-well-known stories."

Randi Mazzella is a freelance writer specializing in a wide range of topics from parenting to pop culture to life after 50. She is a mother of three grown children and lives in New Jersey with her husband.  Read more of her work on randimazzella.com. Read More