KENT—The House of Books, 10 Main St., continues its monthly author talks on Friday, Aug. 16, at 6 p.m. with Julie Satow, who will talk about and sign her new book, “When Women Ran Fifth Avenue.”
Her first book was the widely acclaimed The Plaza.
In “When Women Ran Fifth Avenue,” Satow chronicles the rise of the department store through portraits of three female powerhouses who broke barriers, battled sexism, corporate hierarchies and complex love lives to become presidents of some of America’s most famous department stores—and in the process, changed American fashion forever.
In the golden age of the American department store, every wish could be met under a single roof: one could take afternoon tea, browse the latest fashions, and even plan a wedding or funeral. From bustling big cities to Main Street, USA, women—shopper and shopgirl alike—found new opportunities for independence.
Though the names of these iconic stores, from Bendel’s to Lord & Taylor, are well-known, the stories of the women who ran them were previously largely lost to history.
The House of Books will next host Moon Unit Zappa on Saturday, Sept. 7, also at 6 p.m., when Zappa will discuss her book, “Earth to Moon.”
Zappa, daughter of musician Frank Zappa, describes growing up in her unconventional household in 1970s Los Angeles, coming of age in the Hollywood Hills in the 1980s as the “Valley Girl,” gaining momentum as an accidental VJ on a new network called MTV, and finding herself after losing her father, then her mother, and the testing of her most important relationships.
