Carrie Marcus Neiman
Encyclopedia
Carrie Marcus was born in Louisville, Kentucky
to Jewish German immigrants Delia (Bloomfield) and Jacob Marcus. Jacob was a cotton broker and in 1895 the family followed a daughter to Hillsboro, Texas
when she married a grocer there. Carrie moved with her family to Dallas, Texas
in 1899 and married Abraham Lincoln "Al" Neiman there on April 25th, 1905. After moving to Atlanta, Georgia
briefly to work with The Coca-Cola Company
and do other sales promotion work she and her husband and brother Herbert Marcus
and sister in law Minnie (Marcus) founded Neiman Marcus
in 1907 in Dallas with $25,000 the Neiman and Marcus families had garnered in Georgia. Carrie was recovering in the hospital from a miscarriage on opening day.
In the early 1900s Texan women of means traveled to New York or even Europe for custom tailoring so Neiman Marcus had to shoot high. Therefore, Carrie and a growing cadre of buyers including Moira Cullen specialized in requisitioning high quality, luxurious ready-to-wear garmets for ladies from New York, Europe and anywhere else quality garments could be made to meet their exacting standards. The efforts of the founding families, their employees, and the success of the Texas cotton, cattle and later oil and related industries made Neiman Marcus a continuing and growing success story. Carrie and many others became a part of Dallas and retailing history and she was designated a "symbol of elegance" by Holiday (magazine)
. She, her husband and the Marcus family she came from also figure prominently in the History of the Jews in Dallas, Texas
.
In 1928 Carrie's husband's continued infidelity brought about their divorce and a full buyout of the store by her brother Herbert Marcus
and the Marcus clan. She was then instrumental in the implementation of the store's fashion shows and in the annual Neiman Marcus Awards beginning in 1938 for outstanding fashion designers. In 1950 her brother Herbert died and she became the chair of Neiman Marcus. She approved of the Preston Road Neiman Marcus branch store before her death in 1953 when Stanley Marcus
and other family members took top management responsibilities.
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
to Jewish German immigrants Delia (Bloomfield) and Jacob Marcus. Jacob was a cotton broker and in 1895 the family followed a daughter to Hillsboro, Texas
Hillsboro, Texas
Hillsboro is a city in and the county seat of Hill County in Central Texas. The population was 8,232 at the 2000 census.Hillsboro, located on Interstate 35 where I-35E and I-35W meet south of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, is the primary center for trade and commerce in Hill County...
when she married a grocer there. Carrie moved with her family to Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
in 1899 and married Abraham Lincoln "Al" Neiman there on April 25th, 1905. After moving to Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
briefly to work with The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
and do other sales promotion work she and her husband and brother Herbert Marcus
Herbert Marcus
Herbert Marcus was one of the co-founders of Neiman Marcus, and later became its chief executive officer.Marcus was born in Kentucky but moved to Hillsboro, Texas after dropping out of high school to work and live near his brother Theodore, his three sisters and his parents...
and sister in law Minnie (Marcus) founded Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus, formerly Neiman-Marcus, is a luxury specialty retail department store operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in the One Marcus Square building in Downtown Dallas, Texas, and competes with other department stores such as Saks Fifth...
in 1907 in Dallas with $25,000 the Neiman and Marcus families had garnered in Georgia. Carrie was recovering in the hospital from a miscarriage on opening day.
In the early 1900s Texan women of means traveled to New York or even Europe for custom tailoring so Neiman Marcus had to shoot high. Therefore, Carrie and a growing cadre of buyers including Moira Cullen specialized in requisitioning high quality, luxurious ready-to-wear garmets for ladies from New York, Europe and anywhere else quality garments could be made to meet their exacting standards. The efforts of the founding families, their employees, and the success of the Texas cotton, cattle and later oil and related industries made Neiman Marcus a continuing and growing success story. Carrie and many others became a part of Dallas and retailing history and she was designated a "symbol of elegance" by Holiday (magazine)
Holiday (magazine)
Holiday was an American travel magazine published from 1946 to 1977. Originally published by the Curtis Publishing Company, Holidays circulation grew to over one million subscribers at its height....
. She, her husband and the Marcus family she came from also figure prominently in the History of the Jews in Dallas, Texas
History of the Jews in Dallas, Texas
The History of the Jews in Dallas, Texas is one of the oldest Jewish communities in the state. Dallas is one of the largest cities in Texas and has one of the largest Jewish communities in the state.-Early history:Its first Jewish cemetery was established in 1854...
.
In 1928 Carrie's husband's continued infidelity brought about their divorce and a full buyout of the store by her brother Herbert Marcus
Herbert Marcus
Herbert Marcus was one of the co-founders of Neiman Marcus, and later became its chief executive officer.Marcus was born in Kentucky but moved to Hillsboro, Texas after dropping out of high school to work and live near his brother Theodore, his three sisters and his parents...
and the Marcus clan. She was then instrumental in the implementation of the store's fashion shows and in the annual Neiman Marcus Awards beginning in 1938 for outstanding fashion designers. In 1950 her brother Herbert died and she became the chair of Neiman Marcus. She approved of the Preston Road Neiman Marcus branch store before her death in 1953 when Stanley Marcus
Stanley Marcus
Harold Stanley Marcus was an early president and later chairman of the board of the luxury retailer Neiman Marcus in Dallas, Texas, which his father and aunt had founded in 1907...
and other family members took top management responsibilities.