Shopping on the Ladies’ Mile

 By Suzanne Norquist

One hundred years before teens started hanging out at the mall, women took carriages and the elevated train to socialize and shop on the “Ladies’ Mile” in New York City.

The end of the 1800s was known as the Gilded Age—a time of great prosperity. The rich flaunted their wealth, and the middle class could afford more than ever before. With the Industrial Revolution in full swing, an abundance of mass-produced goods filled store shelves.

Massive department stores sprouted in major cities around the world. Each one could have been a modern mall in itself. Not only did they offer shopping, but their restaurants and tea rooms provided places for socializing.

New York’s high society moved uptown, creating a shopping district on Fifth Avenue. In 1860, when the Prince of Wales stayed at a Fifth Avenue hotel, everyone knew the area was fit for royalty.

In 1862, A.T. Steward relocated his department store to the area and built a massive six-story structure known as the Iron Palace. With a cast-iron construction, massive windows filled with displays lined the street. The use of cast iron instead of bricks made such large window openings possible.

This building served as a tourist attraction and anchored the “Ladies’ Mile” located between Fourteenth and Twenty-Third Streets along Sixth Avenue and Broadway.

Entertainment venues also moved to the area. In 1866, Steinway constructed a concert hall nearby. The building also housed a piano sales floor.

In 1869, Arnold Constable and Company entered the market with high-end fashions. Their building, referred to as “The Palace of Trade” by the newspapers, was the second-largest dry-goods store in the city at the time.

That same year, Tiffany & Company constructed a building with 16-foot cast-iron arches. Known as the “Palace of Jewels,” it was the largest jewelry store in the world.

With such a concentration of businesses and their associated security staff, the area was considered safe for ladies without male escorts. A woman could spend the day with her friends shopping, eating, and socializing—much like teens at a shopping mall.

The district grew with the arrival of Lord and Taylor in 1870. This massive iron building also sported large glass display windows. In fact, Lord and Taylor pioneered Christmas window displays for marketing—a New York tradition.

The “Ladies Mile” shopping district drew in most customers by carriage, but in 1878, the elevated train (the El) arrived, making it easier for middle-class ladies to access the experience.

Other businesses got into the action. Best and Co., specializing in children’s clothing, went in. They were the first to have separate departments for boys and girls, as well as for different accessories.

The prestigious furniture and home décor store W & J Sloan located there in 1882. And the Gorham Silver Company, which sold jewelry, tableware, and other silver items, added an opulent Queen Anne-style building in 1884.

The result was “block after block of glittering ladies’ stores” as described in the book Time and Again, by Jack Finney. The district became a cultural icon.

After World War I, the wealthy of New York society moved farther away from the masses, and the businesses followed. The Guided Age ended, and society changed.

Today’s teenagers think they invented the mall culture. However, over a hundred years ago, women clustered, no doubt creating their own fond memories of days spent on the “Ladies' Mile”.

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”Mending Sarah’s Heart” in the Thimbles and Threads Collection

Four historical romances celebrating the arts of sewing and quilting.

Mending Sarah’s Heart by Suzanne Norquist

Rockledge, Colorado, 1884

Sarah seeks a quiet life as a seamstress. She doesn’t need anyone, especially her dead husband’s partner. If only the Emporium of Fashion would stop stealing her customers, and the local hoodlums would leave her sons alone. When she rejects her husband’s share of the mine, his partner Jack seeks to serve her through other means. But will his efforts only push her further away?

 

Suzanne Norquist is the author of two novellas, “A Song for Rose” in A Bouquet of Brides Collection and “Mending Sarah’s Heart” in the Thimbles and Threads Collection. Everything fascinates her. She has worked as a chemist, professor, financial analyst, and even earned a doctorate in economics. Research feeds her curiosity, and she shares the adventure with her readers. She lives in New Mexico with her mining engineer husband and has two grown children. When not writing, she explores the mountains, hikes, and attends kickboxing class.