Woman's Exchange Movement


The Woman's Exchange Movement refers to a system of benevolent consignment stores, usually established and managed by women, to benefit women. A number of them are members of the Federation of Woman's Exchanges, which is still active.

Background

The Woman's Exchange Movement in the United States dates to 1832, with the establishment of the Philadelphia Ladies' Depository.
Exchanges are non-profit establishments. In the 19th century they were mainly set up by philanthropic women, providing a setting for women to sell their embroidery, sewing, and fancywork. This allowed women to earn a living without working outside their homes. Initially, the exchanges in Philadelphia and New Brunswick appear to have catered for women who had seen better days and had now become self-supporting. At the time it was socially unacceptable for "genteel women" to work and the Women's Exchanges allowed them to sell their work anonymously. The managers and organizers of the exchanges added to their philanthropic status. These women were also able to use their entrepreneurial skills in a socially acceptable way.
Many exchanges added tearooms and lunchrooms, which provided more revenue and became fashionable meeting places for upper-class women. While almost all the exchanges were unsuccessful as businesses, they nevertheless set high standards for the items they accepted, charging a commission of only 10 percent on sales. Consumers were therefore able to benefit from an interesting selection of hand-made articles at interesting prices.
While many depositories and exchanges were local or regional operations, the Federation of Woman's Exchanges was established in 1934 and is still active. While the Woman's Exchange Movement continued through the twentieth century and some exchanges are still in business, the movement has faded, due to a changing work force, rising rents, and a resistance to high-priced, hand-made merchandise.

Select list of 19th-century Women's Exchanges

A table of Woman's Exchanges from 1832 through 1891 compiled from the 1891 publication Directory of Exchanges for Woman's Work and other sources.
NameCityStateYear Founded
Woman's ExchangeAlbanyNew York1881
Woman's Industrial ExchangeAtchisonKansas1888
Woman's ExchangeAugustaGeorgia1888
Woman's Industrial ExchangeBaltimoreMaryland1880
Women's Educational and Industrial UnionBostonMassachusetts1880
Exchange for Woman's WorkBridgeportConnecticut1887
Exchange for Woman's WorkBristolRhode Island1885
Brooklyn Female Employment SocietyBrooklynNew York1854
Woman's ExchangeBuffaloNew York1886
Exchange for Woman's WorkCharlestonSouth Carolina1885
Exchange for Woman's WorkCharlottesvilleVirginia1888
Exchange for Woman's of Work ChicagoChicagoIllinois1879
Cincinnati Ladies' DepositoryCincinnatiOhio1868
Woman's ExchangeCincinnatiOhio1883
Woman's ExchangeClevelandOhio1890
Woman's ExchangeColumbusOhio1885
Woman's ExchangeDecaturIllinois1889
Woman's ExchangeDenverColorado1886
Exchange for Woman's WorkDetroitMichigan1889
Exchange for Woman's WorkDuluthMinnesota1889
Woman's ExchangeElizabethNew Jersey1887
Woman's Work ExchangeEnglewoodNew Jersey1884
United Workers and Woman's ExchangeHartfordConnecticut1888
Woman's ExchangeHoustonTexas1887
Woman's ExchangeJacksonIllinois1891
Woman's ExchangeLancasterPennsylvania1885
Woman's ExchangeLexingtonKentucky1885
Woman's ExchangeLittle RockArkansas1887
Woman's Industrial ExchangeLos AngelesCalifornia1887
Woman's ExchangeLouisvilleKentucky1885
Woman's ExchangeLynchburgVirginia1890
Woman's ExchangeMadisonWisconsin1887
Exchange for Woman's WorkMemphisTennessee1887
Woman's Industrial ExchangeMilwaukeeWisconsin1882
Women's Work and Art ExchangeMorristownNew Jersey1885
Woman's ExchangeMount VernonNew York1888
Depository of the Union for Good WorksNew BedfordMassachusetts1881
Woman's Depository and ExchangeNew BrunswickNew Jersey1856
Christian Woman's ExchangeNew OrleansLouisiana1881
Exchange for Woman's WorkNew YorkNew York1878
Madison Avenue Depository and Exchange for Woman's WorkNew YorkNew York1886
Harlem Exchange for Woman's WorkNew YorkNew York1888
Exchange for Woman's WorkNewarkNew Jersey1881
Woman's ExchangeNewportRhode Island1887
Woman's Work ExchangeNorfolkVirginia1884
Exchange for Woman's WorkNorthamptonMassachusetts1888
Woman's ExchangeOshkoshWisconsin1890
Philadelphia Ladies' DepositoryPhiladelphiaPennsylvania1832
Exchange for Woman's WorkPhiladelphiaPennsylvania1888
Pittsburgh Ladies' DepositoryPittsburghPennsylvania1873
Woman's Industrial ExchangePittsburghPennsylvania1886
Woman's ExchangePlainfieldNew Jersey1889
Rhode Island Exchange for Woman's WorkProvidenceRhode Island1881
Exchange for Woman's WorkRichmondVirginia1883
Rochester Art ExchangeRochesterNew York1880
Woman's Work ExchangeSan AntonioTexas1890
Woman's Industrial ExchangeSan DiegoCalifornia1887
Woman's ExchangeSan FranciscoCalifornia1885
Woman's Industrial ExchangeSanta BarbaraCalifornia1890
Woman's ExchangeSpringfieldIllinois1886
Woman's ExchangeSt. JosephMissouri1886
St. Louis Ladies' DepositorySt. LouisMissouri1879
Woman's ExchangeSt. LouisMissouri1883
Woman's Work ExchangeSt. PaulMinnesota1882
Exchange for Woman's WorkStamfordConnecticut1885
Exchange for Woman's WorkStauntonVirginia1890
Ladies' ExchangeTopekaKansas1889
Woman's ExchangeTroyNew York1887
Woman's ExchangeUticaNew York1888
Woman's ExchangeWashington, DC1890
Woman's ExchangeWaterburyConnecticut1890
Woman's ExchangeWichitaKansas1889

Prominent women in the Exchange Movement