Hidden Figures: Mae Reeves #BlackHERstoryMonth 15/29 (Patreon)

Mae Reeves was a hatmaker known for her custom made hats, becoming the first black american woman to own her own business in downtown Philadelphia. Born Lula Mae Grant, on October 29, 1912, in Vidalia, Georgia, she was the second oldest of 6 siblings. At the age of 16, Reeves enrolled in Georgia State Teacher's College, in Savannah. She began working as a teacher after receiving her credential. During the summer when school was closed, Reeves attended the Chicago School of Millinery, where she learned how to make "one of a kind" handmade hats. 

In 1934, Reeves moved from Georgia to Philadelphia during the Great Migration, joining one of her brothers and getting a job at a women's clothing shop. Eight years later, in 1942, Reeves opened her own shop using a $500 loan secured from the black owned Citizens and Southern Bank. When she opened ‘Mae's Millinery Shop’ at the age of 28, she became the first black woman to own a shop in Philadelphia. Her clients included celebrities such as Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Eartha Kitt, and Marian Anderson, and Reeves also made hats for everyone from socialites to working class church women and schoolteachers. She traveled to New York City and paris for high quality materials and inspiration for her designs, which included ribbons, flowers or netting handpicked by clients. Reeves would often serve champagne or sherry at her shop while women waited, and she also kept makeup on hand for clients to freshen up while trying on the custom hats. 

After Mae met and married her husband, Joel Reeves, she moved her shop from the middle of the garment district to a more residential neighborhood in West Philadelphia, where it became an important meeting place and community institution. 

Reeves was active in her community, serving as a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Knights of Columbus, the National Association of Fashion and Accessory Designers, and the NAACP. She was also the president of the 60th Street Business Association. In 1953, she opened a second shop, and she continued to create hats and run her successful businesses until 1997, when she was 85 years old. That year the hat shop closed, and soon after Reeves moved to a retirement home. She passed away on December 14, 2016 at the age of 104 years old.

 July 27, 2010 was declared "Hats Off to Mae Day," by Philadelphia, and she was also awarded the prestigious Philadelphia Liberty Bell Prize.  In 2009, Reeves' daughter Donna Limerick arranged for the contents of her mother’s hat shops to be donated to the Smithsonian, and in 2016 the museum opened with a permanent exhibit of Reeves' extensive collection, including the shop's original red-neon sign, sewing machine, vintage hats, and antique furniture. Many of handmade bespoke hats of Mae Reeves are also part of a ‘Historical Treasures’ collection with the Smithsonian that travels across the US, to different museums for the public to visit.

#HiddenFigures #MaeReeves

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Links:

'Hats Off to Mae Reeves!'

https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/hats-mae-reeves

'Entrepreneur Mae Reeves’ Hat Shop Was a Philadelphia Institution. You Can Visit It at the Smithsonian:'

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/maes-millinery-shop-was-philadelphia-institution-and-polling-site-you-can-visit-it-smithsonian-180972475/

'Mae Reeves' Hats Hang At National Museum Of African American History And Culture:'

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/09/18/493758448/mae-reeves-hats-hang-at-national-museum-of-african-american-history-and-culture

Mae Reeves:

https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/tag/mae-reeves/

'MAE REEVES - CUSTOM-MADE HATS EXTRAORDINAIRE:'

https://blackthen.com/mae-reeves-custom-made-hats-extraordinaire/

Color photo of Mae Reeves at age 85:

https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2010.6.210.2

Mae Reeves (Wikipedia):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_Reeves