A little history on Avon

I knew about Avon for many years but did not know much on the history of Avon so I found a few things on the internet to share, Found on ideafinder: "Avon was strictly an American phenomenon, and a unique and pioneering one at that. The first Avon Lady was actually a man, young door-to-door salesman David McConnell from upstate New York. He launched Avon Calling in 1886, offering women cosmetics in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. But perfumes and hand-cream were not McConnell’s initial merchandise.At the age of sixteen, McConnell had begun selling books door-to-door. When his fare was not well received, he resorted to the then-popular advertising Gimmick of offering a free introductory gift in exchange for being allowed to make a sales pitch. A complimentary vial of perfume, he thought, would be an ideal entree, and he blended the original scent himself, with the aid of a local pharmacist. Fate stepped in. McConnell learned that women adored his perfume and remained indifferent to his books. Thus, he abandoned books and organized the New York-based California Perfume Company, named in honor of a friend and investor from California. The door-to-door approach seemed tailor-made for cosmetics, particularly in rural areas, where homemakers, in horse-and-buggy days, had poor access to better stores. The first female Avon Lady was Mrs. P. F. E. Albee, a widow from Winchester, New Hampshire. She began her chime-ringing career selling the company s popular Little Dot Perfume Set, and she recruited other women, training them as door-to-door salespeople. The company was re-christened Avon for the simple reason that the New York State town in which David McConnell lived, Suffern on the Ramapo, reminded him of Shakespeare’s Stratford-on-Avon. By 1887, McConnell had twelve women employees selling a line of eighteen fragrances. And the numbers kept growing and growing. In 1939, California Perfume Company name changed to Avon Products, Inc. (10/6/39.) Today, despite the scores of expensive, prestigious American and foreign brand-name cosmetics, Avon ranks first in sales nationwide, with Avon Ladies ringing doorbells from coast to coast." I would love to be your Avon Lady so come on over and do a little spring shopping with me! :) (you dont have to be local, we ship throughout the US) Free shipping to your door with code FSANY