Focusing on three women who ran high-end NYC department stores, the book brings to light their importance, innovations, and influence. With lots of background details about the industry, it's an absorbing read.

Love this book learning about the women powerhouses that ran the elite NY department stores. Shopping at them all with my mother brought me back to a special time in my life. I really wish we knew these women’s stories then. It would have been life changing to have them as role models letting young girls then it was possible to have more than teacher, secretary, nurse as the only career choices. I’ll recommend this to everyone.

I don’t read much nonfiction. Typically, I gravitate toward historical fiction to educate me about the past. But it certainly is true that there are somethings you just can’t make up! This journalistic account was riveting in a way a novel never could be. It is a well-documented story of the evolution of the American department store, told through the lens of three remarkable, dissimilar women. It was an eye-opening account of fashion, women in the workplace, free flowing creativity and the history and mores of the time.

I didn’t grow up in New York City but memories of my childhood came rushing back as I read. My mother took me to The CITY to school shop once a year. While our mainstays were Gimbels and Alexanders, rather than Lord & Taylor and Bonwit, we always took a peek inside the grander places. And we looked forward to the delight of Lord &Taylor windows at Christmas.

In my hometown, the stores didn’t have the elegance of the stores of this book, but even so, they were welcoming. It was like entering a world of possibility. My grandmother took me to one unforgettable store. The make-up counter featured dozens of jars of powders in various shades of browns, purples, rose and the saleswomen made up a powder or foundation perfect for your skin, right on the spot. I hadn't thought about that in years.

I was enchanted with the inventiveness of what the featured stores had to offer women.

The book centered on three department stores: Bonwit Teller, Lord & Taylor, and Henri Bendel. All were bastions of male control and flailing until the women in this account took over. While their backstories, personalities, and ambitions were all different, the impact they had was the same. This was woman country and respect and understanding of both shopper, designer, and worker would bring success.

The three featured innovators couldn’t have been more different. Hortense Odlum, a contented housewife and mother was called to Bonwit Teller by her husband and his business associates to make changes that would attract more shoppers and in short order was at the helm; Dorothy Shaver, an elegant innovator created a space for American designers in a time when American stores only copied French designs and became the first American business woman to earn more than a millionaire’s salary; and fashion editor, Geraldine Stutz, re-invented the look of the modern department store and had a keen sense for trends and forecasted style, making her and her store both unique and incredibly successful.

The book meticulously documents the rise and fall of the department store in context of the times—the biases toward women in the workplace, racial inequities and inroads, the changing times and how they impacted the success and ultimate failures of these women. Rooted in the lives of these three women, the story unfolds to give us a snapshot of this history. It made me want to click my heels and walk through their doors, have a cup of tea and savor where we were when shopping was an event.

My only negative comment is the title. I’d like something more reflective of the style and courage of these women.
Highly Recommend.

My thanks to Doubleday and Netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Julie Satow has written a fascinating look at these famous New York Department stores introducing us to the women who were in charge.Ive spent time in the modern version of these stores Henri Bendels was so unique so exciting to shop in.I really enjoyed getting to know the women who ran and brought the beauty and glamour to these department stores.#netgalley #doubledaybooks

Reading this book conjured images for me of shopping with my mom and grandmother when I was a young girl. I loved learning more about the women behind the famous departments stores. I enjoyed Satow's descriptive writing and appreciate all the research the book includes. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I adored this book. I've never been to New York, but I remember a time when department stores were so much more than you see now. The history and the woman who led the way. It's interesting that most of the stories you'd read would center around the men. This book gives us the strong, smart, and interesting women. Julie Satow wrote a masterful book that flows like fiction, but spins the tale of old New York, glamour, and the times of the grand department store.
Thank you to Doubleday Books, the author, and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.