I love it when history reaches out to you unexpectedly when you turn the corner. I knew I would glean some historical significance last week when I visited one of the oldest log cabins in Pinehurst, NC for lunch with friends. But what I found was a hidden treasure about which I had no clue prior to entering the cabin.
The ladies who run the cabin, which consists of a restaurant and a gift shop, are part of a small and vital breed of women. They are members of the Federation of Woman’s Exchanges, a female invention of the 1800s and now a national organization who have the goal of helping members of their communities to achieve economic success through the sale of consignment goods and hand-crafted items. Initially, the mission of the Women’s Exchange was to serve “…as a depot or salesroom where any woman from the richest lady in the land to the poorest can place the work of her fingers and offer it up for sale.” That, according to the New Orleans Picayune. Recipes from various women were compiled into cookbooks and sold, along with a range of products from jam to embroidery.
The Sandhills Woman’s Exchange is housed in a log cabin, which was built in 1810 and moved log by log to its current location in 1895. They operate a gift shop and restaurant on a seasonal basis because there is no central air or heat in the building. They open in February and run through May and then again from September through December each year and have been doing so for 61 years. Purchased by the Sandhills Woman’s Exchange in 1923, they currently sell products from 70 different artists, mostly based in North Carolina.
Begun in 1832 in Philadelphia, PA as the Woman’s Exchange Movement, the movement mushroomed to nearly 100 such organizations in the late 1800s. By 1891, membership in the exchanges swelled to over 16,000 consignors and paid out a total of $350,000 to them, based on total sales of $1.1 million dollars. Not only did the suppliers benefit from the sale of their merchandise, store managers, who were all women, received valuable training in retail organization and management, something they could not hope to attain in the male-dominated retail market in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many of these exchanges were more than consignment shops. They offered boarding, operated restaurants and tea rooms, and most importantly, gave women a chance to earn a living, as well as sparking generous charitable gifts from wealthy ladies.
There are now still twenty such exchanges located in twelve states, under an umbrella organization called the Federation of Woman’s Exchanges, which was formed in 1934 to provide cohesion and unity. This combination of charity, cooperation and retailing is still evident in the locations still active today. These Woman’s Exchanges are one of the oldest operating charitable movements in the United States, although its numbers died out shortly after women received the right to vote and began to join the work force.
Be on the lookout for such Exchanges when you’re traveling to Southport, Greenwich or Old Lyme, CT, Saint Augustine, FL, New Orleans, LA, Baltimore, MD, Dedham, Lincoln Center or Wayland, MA, St. Louis, MO, Midland Park and Little Silver, NJ, Brooklyn and Scarsdale, NY, Pinehurst, NC, West Reading and West Chester, PA, Memphis, TN and Dallas and Sherman, TX. Seven of these establishments are housed in historic buildings, two of which are open to tours and can be rented out for special events. Two still operate tea rooms and one offers catering. All are non-profit entities, powered by extraordinary women.
While each Exchange is run separately, they all have the same goal–to help crafters and consigners earn a living and providing community charitable organizations with the proceeds from the sale of goods. The various groups exchange ideas on the best business practices to help further their cause. Their ideal of women helping women has helped many women flourish over the years. We owe these Woman’s Exchanges a debt of gratitude. And, if you make it to the Pinehurst location, be sure to treat yourself to their lobster bisque!
http://clements.umich.edu/exhibits/online/OldGirlNetwork/Womens_Exchange.html
