1401 South Third Street & 222 West Magnolia Street (Mary Cummings Paine Eudy)
Residence and Workshop of Mary Cummings Paine Eudy, 1920-1930s
1401 South 3rd Street was the personal residence of Mary Cummings Paine Eudy from 1920 through the early 1930s. Eudy became an entrepreneur following her divorce in 1907 when she was left with a young son to support. She started designing embroidery for blouses and in 1914 founded Mary Cummings, Inc., a business that made dresses for women. Competition for customers was fierce throughout the 27 years she ran her business; fewer women were buying custom-made dresses and instead purchasing cheaper mass-produced clothing. Eudy marketed her personalized service, tailored fit, and exclusive brand, setting her dresses apart from assembly-line garments available in department stores. Her dresses were known for their intricate embroidery and specialty fabrics.
Eudy had a short trip to work while she lived here. Her specialty clothing business was in a 3-story building just around the corner at 222 West Magnolia. The first floor of Eudy’s workshop on Magnolia was filled with fabrics. She was known for importing fine fabrics, including from China, Japan, Egypt, England, and France. She had as many as 400 employees, primarily local women, although most of them did not work in this building; many worked from home doing hand embroidery, while others were sales representatives and fitters. Eudy employed many sales representatives because she focused on serving a national clientele.
All of her clients lived out of town. She did not want local customers because she thought there would be too much confusion and distraction. Each spring and fall, she updated the sketches in her ‘Book of Designs’ and sent them to her sales representatives in other cities. One of the upper floors of her workshop was filled with dress forms, a type of mannequin used by designers to tailor and fit clothing. Each form was labelled with a client’s name. The dresses were all made in Louisville and then returned to the customer with a fitter to make minor alterations. Eudy’s most famous client was Sara Delano Roosevelt, mother of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Mrs. Roosevelt ordered several dresses, scarves and bags from Eudy in 1937 and 1938. Eudy’s dress lines all had names and Mrs. Roosevelt’s orders included a black gossamer dress called ‘Sophistication’ and a purple shadow sheer dress called ‘Applique.’ Mrs. Roosevelt also bought a dress called ‘Her Royal Highness’ to wear to her son’s inauguration in 1937.
Eudy successfully navigated the Great Depression but had to close her business in 1941. World War II forced her out of business when the fabrics she needed could no longer be imported from Europe and Japan. She continued to express her creativity through poetry, painting, and music. Eudy died in New York City in 1952. Her estate was worth more than $650,000, a testament to her achievements as a businesswoman.