same quilts into cash. The network of charity consignment shops began in 1832 with the Philadelphia Ladies’ Depository, which was created to give genteel ladies a way to make “pin money” selling items they made at home. Although times have changed, the mission of the Woman’s Exchange remains essentially the same and it continues to be a way to help women help themselves. “We have a vast network of home-based businesses of moms ranging from their 20s to their 80s all over the country,” says Elise Bates, president of the 51-year-old Fairfield Woman’s Exchange. “We’ve got someone from the hills of North Carolina who sends us knitted hats and we have a stay at-home mom in Fairfield County who paints furniture.” By the way, that woman from North Carolina, whose handknitted wares are very much in demand, makes $70,000 a year through the Woman’s Exchange — and that’s not exactly pin money. After paying the artists, crafters and artisans their 70 percent, and paying the bills to keep the store open, the Woman’s Exchange then donates all proceeds to charities that serve women and children. This is a prime example of women joining forces to help each other and for the volunteers who staff the store it’s a social network too. Bates, who is a stay-at-home mom, says she joined as a volunteer shortly after moving to Connecticut as a way to make friends and get out of the house once in a while. “The relationships that I have with the other volunteers are just invaluable to me. They’re so supportive of me. It’s a working environment and it’s a really special community of women of all ages who wouldn’t necessarily come together otherwise,” says Bates. For women, networking comes naturally and their professional and personal lives are often intertwined. Perhaps because women are still more likely than men to be trying to strike a balance between advancing their careers and raising a family, it’s hardly surprising that they’d turn to each other for support and advice on the home front, too. At a women’s business networking session, a conversation about the real estate market might easily lead to a reference for a good plumber or a reliable babysitter. The one thing it doesn’t lead to, however, is a proposition and, for many women, that’s another great reason to join a womenonly organization. MAKING PERSONAL CONNECTIONS When Thelma Gregory moved to Wilton knowing no one and looking for a job, she wanted to join a professional network for two reasons: to make business connections and to make friends. The 35-year-old Wisconsin native says she test-drove a few other networking organizations before joining the Fairfield Network of Executive Women. She opted for a women-only organization, frankly, because married men kept hitting on her at the other “networking” events.
Gregory says members of the Fairfield women’s organization made her feel right at home from the get-go. “You walk in blind and you’re welcomed immediately. They want to know your name, your whole story,” says Gregory. “I know now, if I get stuck on a problem, personal or professional, I have this brain trust of women I can turn to.” HL
Power in Numbers Investment banker-turned-aspiring-journalist Pamela Ryckman found herself struggling to get a leg up in a new industry. With young kids and a desire for a better work experience, Ryckman found herself striking out again and again with editors and other journalists, who never returned calls or e-mail. But then she discovered what she calls “stiletto networks.” “It all started at a women’s conference,” writes Ryckman in the intro to her book Stiletto Network. She met a woman senior executive who introduced her to other women executives, smart ladies in powerful positions who “didn’t carp about ‘balance’ or lament not ‘having it all.’” Ryckman stumbled on collectives of successful women, many of whom opened doors for her that she’d never have opened on her own. The Stiletto Network chronicles anecdotes of success and networking within these groups, who call themselves names such as Harpies (a group whose members have included Nora Ephron and Barbara Walters), Power Bitches, Babes in Boyland and S.L.U.T.S. (Successful Ladies Under Tremendous Stress). One woman who benefited from stiletto networks tells Ryckman, “This is not just a financial relationship. It’s one of passion, true loyalty, care, and concern for our mission. These incredible women have rolled up their sleeves and been involved in the nitty-gritty of building my business.” Stiletto Network: Inside the World’s Power Circles That Are Changing the Face of Business, by Pamela Ryckman, Amacom Publishing, 258 pages, $22.95 — Brianna Snyder
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