Nancy Talbot

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Nancy Talbot
Born
Nancy Orr

August 17, 1920
Charlevoix, Michigan
DiedAugust 30, 2009(2009-08-30) (aged 89)
Boulder, Colorado
NationalityAmerican
Other namesNancy Talbot
Alma materRadcliffe College
Occupationbusinesswoman
Known forfounding Talbots
SpouseRudolf

Nancy Talbot (August 17, 1920 – August 30, 2009) was an American businesswoman who co-founded the Talbots women's retail clothing chain with her husband, Rudolf Talbot.[1]

Early life and career[edit]

Nancy Orr was born in 1920[2] in Charlevoix, Michigan, which was the location of her family's summer home.[1] She was raised in Chicago, Illinois.[1] She graduated from The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a private prep school.[1] Nancy went on to attend Radcliffe College for one year, but left in 1944 to take a position with the Red Cross.[1] The Red Cross assigned her to a military reconnaissance unit in France near the end of World War II where she met her future husband, Rudolf Talbot.[1]The couple married in 1945.[1]

The couple returned to the United States. Her father-in-law opened a Johnny Appleseed clothing store in Hingham, Massachusetts, in 1945, but died suddenly, which forced Rudolf Talbot to take over the business.[1] Rudolf Talbot dropped the Johnny Appleseed franchise in 1947, because he disliked the clothing he was selling.[1] Rudolf and Nancy started a new clothing store, which they first called "The Talbots."[3] The business eventually became known as Talbots and soon moved to a single-family clapboard house in Hingham, Massachusetts.[1][3] The couple painted the Talbots store's door red, which remains a trademark of Talbots stores up to the present day.[1][4]

In 1949, the couple distributed 3,000 fliers to potential customers from The New Yorker's mailing list.[3] This was a precursor to the company's catalog, launched in 1952.[3][5]

Nancy and Rudolf opened three new stores in Connecticut and Massachusetts during the next 10 years to target female consumers who were relocating to the suburbs following World War II.[1] Rudolf Talbot focused on expanding the Talbots company, while Nancy worked as the company's buyer, purchasing agent and held creative control over the merchandise.[1] They gradually dropped their men's and children's clothing lines to focus exclusively on women's apparel.[1]

The Talbots sold their company, along with its four existing stores at the time, to General Mills in 1973.[1] In the late 1980s, the company expanded into California.[3]

Nancy Talbot remained at Talbots as a vice president until her retirement in 1983.[1] By the time she retired, Talbots had grown to approximately 30 stores with a catalog circulation of more than 10 million copies per year.[1] As of 2009, Talbots had 586 locations and more than $1.5 billion in revenue.[1]

Personal life[edit]

Nancy Talbot married Rudolph Talbot in 1945. The couple had two daughters, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Rudolf Talbot died in 1987.[1]

Nancy Talbot died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on August 30, 2009, at her home in Boulder, Colorado, at the age of 89.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Grimes, William (2009-09-03). "Nancy Talbot, Who Helped Build a Retail Empire, Dies at 89". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  2. ^ "NANCY TALBOT: 1920–2009". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  3. ^ a b c d e Nelson, Valerie J. (2009-09-05). "Nancy Talbot dies at 89; co-founder of women's clothing store Talbots". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  4. ^ Feitelberg, Rosemary (2022-09-08). "Talbots Celebrates 75 Years in Business, But Looks Ahead, Not Back". WWD. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  5. ^ Shohet, Nancy (2016-07-08). "About to celebrate its 70th year, Talbots finds its groove – The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
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