E.C Denton Stores
My late grandmother was a notorious packrat, but I’m glad she saved this envelope from 1930, as it ties two sides of my family together.
The envelope is from the E.C. Denton Stores, owned by my paternal great-grandfather, and is addressed to my maternal great-grandmother, Mary Vail Collier. Prior to establishing the Tailored Woman in New York, my great-grandfather’s brother, Eugene K. Denton, worked for the Denton stores in Cincinnati.
The envelope, which presumably contained a bill that through some unfathomable logic wasn't saved, was forwarded to Orlando, Florida care of Mrs. John D. Vail, my great-great-grandmother. As for the other writing, which reads "Steele & Haley, back of Trinity Church," I think this refers to the venerable Haley & Steele art gallery in Boston. My great-grandmother presumably reached for the nearest piece of paper to jot down a note.
At any rate, though it's at times a burden to sift through the piles and piles of random paper accumulated by my ancestors, it's great fun to find a little gem such as this.
posted by The Tailored Woman at Monday, September 14, 2009
4 Comments:
hi, my name is benita and i ran across your article researching tailored woman new york. i have won this fur stole on an auction and the label in it says tailored woman, new york. it was stated as rabbit fur possibly, but it looks like it may be mink. i live in florida, and we don't usually wear fur items here, even though i love fur! so i was wondering, since you know the history of this store, and it seems like it closed in 1969, if you know if the store sold rabbit fur stoles, or was it more like mink?
thanks so much for your time,
benita
Hi Benita,
The Tailored Woman had a large fur department at the main store, and then Eugene Denton opened a smaller store devoted to furs around 1969, after the original store closed. I have also bought some things on auction sites and think you are correct that the store sold all kinds of fur, not just mink.
Enjoy your stole! Thanks for posting.
Elizabeth
I found your blog while searching for some information about "The Tailored Woman" located at 5th and 57th because I had bought a vintage fur coat at "Bubba's Barn" in Vermont with a label bearing that name and address! What fun to hear about the history of the store! I sent you a picture of the coat and the label. I relined the coat because the lining was in shreds when I purchased it. I have had fun with it! Debbie in Virginia
Hi Debbie!
Thanks for visiting the blog and leaving your comment, as well as emailing me photos. Your fur is beautiful! Let me know if there is any other information I can give you about the store.
Elizabeth
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