March is Women's History Month, and there were plenty of women that made a difference in the Romeo area. For each this week this month, we will discuss one woman who did just that.
First up is Charlotte Perkins. Charlotte, seen here fixing a hat on a customer, was the owner and operator of the Perkins Dress Shop, the Peppermint Stick Gift Shop, and Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Romeo. She was one of the few women in town who ran their own businesses.
The Romeo Observer Press ran an article about her and highlighted the Perkins Dress Shop in the February 14, 1952 issue as part of their "Meet Your Merchant" series. That store sold the latest in dress-wear and accessories, and Charlotte ran it from 1945 to 1972. It stood where the Kind Beauty Company is at now.
Charlotte got into the clothing business by working at a major retail store from 1935 to 1937. According to the article, she spent time at each department, "familiarizing herself with the selling techniques peculiar to each department."
This diverse background landed her a position as a manager in one of the departments. She held that job until she moved to Romeo in 1937.
In 1945, Charlotte decided to open her own dress shop. She recalled that the night before the grand opening, she laid awake "wondering why she had purchased so much of one stock, so little of another, and any at all of some other."
This is an understandable worry for any new businessperson. On top of that, World War II was nearing its end, and certain items were scarce due to the rations imposed during that time. This certainly heightened Charlotte's anxieties.
She promised herself that if she couldn't get the Lampl line outlet account in order to obtain merchandize for her store, then she wouldn't open the shop. Luckily, she was able to secure that account by using what the article called "the most potent of female weapons...talk."
In other words, she verbally persuaded the company to give her the account, so she would be able to stock up the shelves in the store.
By 1952, Charlotte did her own buying and stocking "with an inventory numbering lines from some of the leading nationally-advised outlets."
In addition, she had one full-time and two part-time staffers at the store.
This leads us to the question that I'm sure is on the mind of every person reading this: how did Charlotte succeed?
Some of that has already been answered, especially with her background knowledge on clothes and running a business in general. However, there are some other things that are worth mentioning. She ran a shop specifically targeted to women, so for many at the time, having a female business owner was easier to swallow in that regard. This is even more significant given that she was divorced by 1952, so she managed the store by herself.
The final reason comes from Charlotte herself. She credited the customers for whatever success she may enjoy. At the end of the article, she admitted that without their support, "the story would not have turned out the way it did."
To learn more about Charlotte Perkins and the Perkins Dress Shop, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890.
Images and sources courtesy of the Romeo Community Archives; Melvin E. and Joan D. Bleich Collection, The Romeo Observer, February 14, 1952, p.I-3 and p.I-6 and March 29, 1989, p.2-A; 1972 Romeo Telephone Directory; and Ancestry