Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-02-07
SHE MADE A FORTUNE.
Originator of Silk Skirt Scheme is
Mrs. John A. Chambers.

Mrs. John a. ChamberS.
A remarkably clever woman, who
has made a fortune by the exercise Of
her own ingenuity and ability, has
been visiting in Syracuse. She is
Mrs. John A. Chambers, known in
every state Of the Union as the origi-
nator of the coupon silk Skirt chain.
Only a few years ago Mrs, Cham
bers was a Syracuse dressmaker. She
went out to sew at $l.25 day, and her
husband was an employe of the Electric
Light Power company. Now she is
worth in the neighborhood of $4,000,
and is rated in Bradstreets as a bust.
ness woman of recognized standing.
The astonishing feature in her story,
too, is that her money WIS made in
less than a year. OF the coupon silk
skirts almost every woman has heard,
if she is not herself wearing one. Mrs.
Chambers started them. It was in
about 1898 that she removed from
Syracuse to WATERFOWL. There she
was at first employed as a forewoman
in dressmaking shop, and later
opened an establishment of her own,
where she employed a number of girls.
Only year ago last spring the in
spiration for the silk skirt scheme
came to her. She got her coupons
printed and put them on the market.
The thing took like wiIdfire, and
hundreds of women in Syracuse and
all over the country helped it along.
There was the maddest sort of rush
in books which contained five apiece.
You paid $1.25 for a book and sold its
coupons to others at % cents each.
The holders of these coupons were
each entitled to buy book for them
selves When they had fulfllcd that
requirement Mrs. Chambers was in
receipt of $6.25, and your silk skirt
was promptly forwarded TO you. 1t
had cost you only the 25 cents which
you paid for your first coupon, as the
.Sl25 which you advanced for your
book was reimbursed for by selling its
contents to other coupon buyers.
There was such a demand for skirts
as the unpretentious little dressmaker
had never dreamed of An immense
volume of business poured in on her
and she was obliged to open branch
headquarters in Chicago and Kansas
City. BY and by, also, she started
silk waists on the coupon system, and
they went almost equally as well. In
some of the western states there was
an attempt made to prove the scheme
illegal In Chicago they tried to ar
rest her manager, but all efforts to
break the chain that now reached
across the continent failed 1t was
within the letter of the law.
In the few months from May to
Septo ~ Der Mrs. Chambers had been
fairly coming money. She had made
thousands more than she had ever an
ticipated earning in whole life
time before.
Just about year ago she had an
offer from a man who wanted to buy
out her business. She thought it
over and accepted She sold out her
silk waist system for slo,0o0 and her
silk skirt system for $4,000, making
q clear $4,000. She then signed
contract with the man to work in his
employ as manager Of the business at
$4,000 a year.
But the wonderful boom was past.
So many women from Maine TO Cali
fornia were clothed in silk skirts and
silk waists that coupons ceased to sell
as rapidly as they had at first. Some
bought books and couldn't dispose of
their contents and so the enthusiasm
waXod cold. The industry was mol
longer the sold mine that it had once
been.
Mrs. Chambers got out of it and
took her fortune with her Just in
time She remained in the employ
of the man who bought 1t just six
months Then she and her husband
went west where they are now en-
gagged In starting a syndicate OF and
locent stores Syracuse Post Stand.
ard