A Girl Named Carrie: The Visionary Who Created Neiman Marcus and Set the Standard for Fashion

Jerrie Marcus Smith's great aunt Carrie Marcus Neiman, co-founded Neiman Marcus with her brother and husband, was a successful businesswoman despite facing discrimination. She was self-taught, never attended college, and worked at Neiman Marcus until her death at age 66. Jerrie's memories of her aunt have replaced her childhood fear with a colorful portrait of a person to be admired and loved.

Format: Hardback
Length: 184 pages
Publication date: 30 April 2022
Publisher: University of North Texas Press

Jerrie Marcus Smith vividly recalls her great-aunt Carrie as a humorless woman who always dressed in black, instilling a sense of fear in her. However, as an adult, Jerrie began to understand the profound impact of Carrie Marcus Neiman. Alongside her brother, Herbert Marcus Sr., and her husband A.L. Neiman, Carrie co-founded the renowned Neiman Marcus department store in Dallas, Texas, in 1907. Despite facing numerous obstacles, including being a woman, Jewish, and going through a divorce after her husband's illicit relationship, Carrie played a crucial role in the store's success. With impeccable taste and exemplary manners, she embarked on buying trips to New York in the 1920s, defying societal expectations by traveling alone. Jerrie describes her as "nobody's pushover" and a self-taught individual who never attended college. Her sole pregnancy ended in miscarriage, and she worked at Neiman Marcus until her passing at the age of 66. However, through cherished memories shared by her late father, Neiman Marcus legend Stanley Marcus, as well as captivating interviews with retired salespeople, Jerrie has developed an inextricable connection to Carrie. Each recollection of Aunt Carrie, each remembrance, and each detail has melted away Jerrie's childhood fear, revealing a vibrant portrait of a person deserving of admiration, love, and sharing.

Dimension: 222 x 165 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780578969602