The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-09-17
HOW TO GET INTO THE
MILLINERY BUSINESS.

~
MILLINERY BUSINESS.
Gertrude Wells in Chicago TribuneD
If the woman who wants to decide
which line Of business she should enter
had found her way to the Fine Arts
building last week she would have seen
that which would have assisted her ma
teraly in making her selection. There
may be other lines of business wherein
2 woman may enter and be a, success,
but il is doubtful il there is any that
is so prominently the one line for
which woman is suited in the CONNER
cal world as that of the milliner.
To enter the millinery business it is
first necessary to be a milliner. 1t is
not enough that one has the capital 10
buv her stock and establish her store
Il is not even enough if one has capital
enough to engage all the help neces-
sary. The selling of hats to a woman
and retaining that woman as a steady
7atron is a thing that must be at
-anded to by the proprietor if it is TO
be done satisfactorily; and to attend
10 this il is necessary to know all about
hats and their making. SO the woman
who is DESTROYS of entering this bust
ness must first set i'm and thoroughly
learn i.
The usual method Of gaining instruc-
ton is to serve an apprenticeship with
some millineT. But here in the city it
is easier to do this in the shops of one
of the large manufacturing hat makers.
n some of these places there are at
times more than a hundred girls serv-
ing as apprentices. The wages re-
ceiyed while learning are small. Three
dollars per week is perhaps the aver
age pay Of the millinery apprentice |
There is no set time for the apprentice |
10 serve. As soon as she becomes pro- |
ficient in any branch of the work she |
is allowed to begin work at that !
branch At the regular wages paid for |
the work if she SO wishes.
When the apprentice advances suffi- |
GENTLY she is placed as a "preparer.
where her wages viii be from IS to $l2 /
per week The average apprentice is
able TO earn this salary after she has |
served an apprenticeship of two years. }
BY this it viii be seen that the wages
Of the millinery worker are higher than
ihose Of most girl workers. This is
because the work is Of a more delicate
nature and requires much more skill
even in the simpler parts than do many
other kinds Of work that come within
The province Of girls labor. To be a
good preparer it is necessary that the
worker be familiar with all the ma
terial with which she works. She must
also know how to handle the same /
shillfully. for in preparing the hat for
me hands of the trimmer it is possible
Tor her to soon do many dollars worth
u damage if her work is improperly
done
To the preDarer who is proficient
'here is offered the opportunity to be-
come trimmer. the next stage in the
progress Of the milliner. The trimmer
must be an expert. She chooses the
trimmings that go on hat and puts
lhem on. As the cost of the trimmings
are away and beyond the cost Of the
rest Of the hat it is obvious that the
trimmer must work carefully and with
a run knowledge Of all that is before
lef. She virtually determines the cost
D- the hat TO the maker. If she has
ifueIS TO make certain hat at a GER
tam cost she must choose her material
- mat it viii conform to the orders.
MS entails necessarily complete
knowledge Of the cost of the material.
ls Wei as the trade of putting the
'ame into shape on d hat
ne tTimner's wages are quite COM
nensurate with the value of her work.
from $l5 a week to $50 the scale runs,
wa II she is competent she viii never
* for work. She invariably is given
peasant place in which to work, and
7 other ways her road is pleasant. At
Ter wages she is often capable of saw
NG enough in a few years TO start a
tore Of her own. One prominent man
I acturer says that each year some OF
ne girls in his employ leave to 90 into
uslncss for themselves.
This does not take so much capital
$ one might suppose" said he. 'sThe
q for small, well assorted stocks of
Millinery is so large that. every whole
ale house in the city makes a spe-
'sIJN OF them. The prices of these
ange from $50 up, depending entirely
non the style and number of hats |
anied. 4 milliner at the start does
"J need large stock. Two or three
oxen finished hats, an assortment of
aMes and trimmings, and she is ready |
W business. The glass case, whether
is on the wall or on a counter, is
.1etly necessary to every millinery
...'ie, and this viii cost from 500 UP |
neH there must be mirrors. so it is
are 10 say that the furnishings of
.oIe cannot be had for less than $50. |
ne stock viii cost as much more, il it
70 amount to anything. Three hun
req dollars is, perhaps, the average
vested capital of the small milliner
Most Of the girls who leave here to
% INTO the business for themselves do
oN begin here There is little show
or the small milliner TO make money
y ms city. But the beginners &c out
bals city, where the competition is
OF keen.