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(Public Domain)
Meet America's 1st "Avon Lady" - Persis Foster Eames Albee (known as PFE Albee). She was born in Newry Maine on May 30, 1836. In 1866 she met and married New Hampshire born Ellery Albee. He was an attorney in Winchester and served as a State Senator from 1869-1871. It was while living in their home in Winchester where this mother of 2 would be introduced to the exciting world of retail sales as their home included a store outlet.
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MEANWHILE - in New York City in the 1880's there was a man by the name of David H. McConnell a door-to-door salesman peddling books. He discovered that the majority of homes he visited were occupied by the lady of the house or as they were called "housewives" and selling books was just not a successful way to get into the home to present your sales pitch. McConnell was a thinking man and decided that he needed a "gimmick" to get customers.
McConnell began working with a local pharmacist to develop a fragrance that he would use as a give-away if the ladies were willing to listen to his sales pitch. What happened? The ladies were more interested in the fragrance than his books.
By 1886 David H. McConnell is no longer selling his books. He has formed a company called "The California Perfume Company". His business partner came up with the name as he was a Californian and loved the fragrance of the flowers the state produced.
(Public Domain)
Now he had to figure out how to sell his product. It was certain that his market would be directed to women. The timing was perfect for his door-to-door business as in the late 1800's most women were never far from their homes. He even had one more "stroke of genius" - women selling to women.
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MEANWHILE back in New Hampshire, PFE Albee was now 50 years old, widowed with her children out of the home. In 1885, she was still running her store and had begun to do door-to-door sales in Winchester and Cheshire County, New Hampshire. She was also a woman ahead of her time. She believed in giving women opportunities, especially to earn their own incomes and and maintain their financial independence from men. At the time this was a shocking belief when the work force was primarily "male" only.
She began to sell for the California Perfume Company. She devised a successful product line called the "Little Dot Perfume Set" consisting of 5 bottles of floral fragrant perfumes. She was so successful that in her years of working she personally trained over 5,000 ladies as door-to-door sales"women".
She began traveling by horse and buggy throughout the Northeast. The California Perfume Company began expanding their products and PFE was there every step of the way. She became quite the beauty consultant. She also recruited women into the industry as it was the "perfect" job for the housewife of the day. You set your own schedule and made money besides.
PFE Albee wearing her typical
California Perfume Company Uniform
(1886 - Public Domain)
PFE was with the company for 25 years always living in her home in New Hampshire. Ill health forced her to live with her daughter in Massachusetts where she died in 1914 at 78 years of age. To this day she is considered the 1st Avon Representative, although the name "Avon" would not come into existence until 1928 thanks for David McConnell's love of Shakespeare. And for all the "number crunchers" - in 2018 Avon's annual sales were $5.5 billion worldwide; and there were 6.4 million representatives.
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Sources
1. https://www.beautylish.com/a/vxquv/the-history-of-avon
2. https://www.avon.com/blog/avon-insider/business-lessons-lady-albee
3. Wikipedia - Avon; David H. McConnell; Persis Foster Eames Albee
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