About the book
Late nineteenth-century San Francisco was an ethnically diverse but male-dominated society bustling from a rowdy gold rush, earthquakes, and explosive economic growth. Within this booming marketplace, some women stepped beyond their roles as wives, caregivers, and homemakers to start businesses that combined family concerns with money-making activities. Edith Sparks traces the experiences of these women entrepreneurs, exploring who they were, why they started businesses, how they attracted customers and managed finances, and how they dealt with failure.
Using a unique sample of bankruptcy records, credit reports, advertisements, city directories, census reports, and other sources, Sparks argues that women were competitive, economic actors, strategizing how best to capitalize on their skills in the marketplace. Their boardinghouses, restaurants, saloons, beauty shops, laundries, and clothing stores dotted the city’s landscape. By the early twentieth century, however, technological advances, new preferences for name-brand goods, and competition from large-scale retailers constricted opportunities for women entrepreneurs at the same time that new opportunities for women with families drew them into other occupations. Sparks’s analysis demonstrates that these businesswomen were intimately tied to the fortunes of the city over its first seventy years.
Editions of Capital Intentions
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780807830611
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780807857755
- EBook
- ISBN 9780807868201
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469602479
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890878908
Read an Excerpt
Late nineteenth-century San Francisco was an ethnically diverse but male-dominated society bustling from a rowdy gold rush, earthquakes, and explosive economic growth. Within this booming marketplace, some women stepped beyond their roles as wives, caregivers, and homemakers to start businesses that combined family concerns with money-making activities. Edith Sparks traces the experiences of these women entrepreneurs, exploring who they were, why they started businesses, how they attracted customers and managed finances, and how they dealt with failure.
Using a unique sample of bankruptcy records, credit reports, advertisements, city directories, census reports, and other sources, Sparks argues that women were competitive, economic actors, strategizing how best to capitalize on their skills in the marketplace. Their boardinghouses, restaurants, saloons, beauty shops, laundries, and clothing stores dotted the city’s landscape. By the early twentieth century, however, technological advances, new preferences for name-brand goods, and competition from large-scale retailers constricted opportunities for women entrepreneurs at the same time that new opportunities for women with families drew them into other occupations. Sparks’s analysis demonstrates that these businesswomen were intimately tied to the fortunes of the city over its first seventy years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Capital Intentions about?
Late nineteenth-century San Francisco was an ethnically diverse but male-dominated society bustling from a rowdy gold rush, earthquakes, and explosive economic growth. Within this booming marketplace, some women stepped beyond their roles as wives, caregivers, and homemakers to start businesses that combined family concerns with money-making activities. Edith Sparks traces the experiences of these women entrepreneurs, exploring who they were, why they started businesses, how they attracted customers and managed finances, and how they dealt with failure.
Using a unique sample of bankruptcy records, credit reports, advertisements, city directories, census reports, and other sources, Sparks argues that women were competitive, economic actors, strategizing how best to capitalize on their skills in the marketplace. Their boardinghouses, restaurants, saloons, beauty shops, laundries, and clothing stores dotted the city’s landscape. By the early twentieth century, however, technological advances, new preferences for name-brand goods, and competition from large-scale retailers constricted opportunities for women entrepreneurs at the same time that new opportunities for women with families drew them into other occupations. Sparks’s analysis demonstrates that these businesswomen were intimately tied to the fortunes of the city over its first seventy years.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Capital Intentions?
Society and Social Sciences > Society and culture: general > Social groups, communities and identities > Gender studies, gender groups > Gender studies: women and girls
Where can I read a sample of Capital Intentions?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807830611
How long is Capital Intentions and how many pages does it have?
Capital Intentions has 352 page(s)
Is Capital Intentions part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series The Luther H. Hodges Jr. and Luther H. Hodges Sr. Series on Business, Entrepreneurship, and Public Policy
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Capital Intentions?
Edith Sparks
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Capital Intentions is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780807830611) and paperback(ISBN 9780807857755) and ebook(ISBN 9780807868201) and ebook(ISBN 9781469602479) and pdf(ISBN 9798890878908)
Where can I buy Capital Intentions online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Capital Intentions from below
Where can I buy Capital Intentions?