rejectedprincesses:

Martha Matilda Harper, the Greatest Businesswoman You’ve Never Heard Of

She pioneered retail franchising and created the American hair salon industry.

via @atlasobscura (article link):

She designed the first reclining chair so they could have their hair washed without getting shampoo in their eyes, and had a half circle cut out of her sink (with running water) for ladies to rest their heads. The emphasis was on customer service, long before the term was coined.

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“She really felt that by developing her salon system she was helping women establish a financial life of their own beyond their husband’s, or allowed them to live without a husband.”

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“She is lost in history and I think it’s too bad,” says Knapp. “It happens and makes you wonder about your worth sometimes in life. Martha stood for a lot of things and it’s a shame that it’s been lost in the history pages.” 

See also: Madam CJ Walker, a black woman who became America’s first female millionaire via her empire of beauty and hair products.