Rosa Geiger Adler Zabel “Rosie’s/ The Zabel Style Shop”

Proprietor of Her Own Shop for Over 50 Years

One of the early business people in Delano

Rosa Geiger was born in 1879 on a farm west of Delano. Her father, Jacob, died in 1885, and the family, consisting of her mother Christina, and three older sisters, Mary, Anna, and Lena, remained on the farm with Henry Rittke as their hired man.. Mary married William Kaeppe in 1888, and Anna married Joseph L. Matter in 1892. The 1895 census shows Christina, Lena and Rosa living with Mary and William, but by 1900 Christina and Rosa had moved into Delano, and Rosa, at age 19, had opened her millinery shop. Rosa married Herman Adler in 1905, and had two children: Mildred and Milton. Herman died unexpectedly from heart trouble in 1911. After Herman’s death, Rosa married again, in 1914, to William F. Zabel, a carpenter. Rosa continued her millinery business, and had a shop on River Street next to Rieder's Meat Market. In the 1946 special Edition of the Delano Eagle called “Mainstreet”: it said: “The Zabel Style Shop first opened its doors in Delano during 1897. Continuing through good times and bad, this shop is still doing business on River Street in Delano. Mrs. Zabel is the owner and operator.” Mildred (Adler) Sawatzke recalled in 1976 in the Delano Centennial book that” her mother’s millinery store started as a sewing shop in about 1900. Three sewing machine operators made custom dresses for the local ladies. The business branched into hats made of buckrum or hat wires shaped to the customers’ wishes. Velvet, satin, fur, chiffon, silk, or straw-braid covered the frames. Genuine ostrich plumes, feathers, jewels, buckles, flowers and ribbons provided the ultimate in decoration. The store was known as Rosie’s and provided local ladies with stylish clothing for over fifty years.” Rosa carried on in her business until illness prevented her. Rosa died in 1954, after 55 years as a Delano businesswoman. She is buried in Schroeder’s Cemetery beside her first husband, Herman A. Adler.

Other Millinery/ Dressmaking Businesses in Delano

There were not very many opportunities for women to have a business in the early days. One area, however, was that of millinery. As early as 1872,

Mrs. Maria Silvers had a building erected on the corner of Railroad and Second, and opened a millinery shop with her daughter, Minerva Mulford. Mrs. Mulford continued in the business for over twenty-one years. Her business was described in the Delano Eagle in 1893 as follows:

“Mrs. M. J. Mulford –is the most fashionable as well as the oldest milliner of the city, having been in Delano 21 years. Hers is one of the most complete stocks in this section of the state and the store (22x60) presents a very pleasing appearance at all times, for she makes it a point to carry all the latest and most fashionable designs in the millinery line. Here we find all the finest wool fabrics in pretty colors and figures and trimmings to match each. Her display is truly wonderful. Ladies’ furnishings goods for dressing and for fancy work, ribbons and ornaments will make your head swim. Holiday goods and novelties, velvets and zephyrs, etc. in profusion.”

But there was more than one millinery shop in Delano. Mrs. A. Larson had a small general store with a millinery department attached south of the railroad track in 1880, and Miss Maggie O’Leary had a dressmaking establishment on south River Street in 1881. In 1884 Mrs. E. J. Swedeback opened a fashionable millinery parlor on River Street, which she carried on for over 9 years.

(Above sketch from approximately 1895-1900)

Miss Agnes Fleming had her millinery shop in the Mulford building in 1905, and Mrs. F. J. (Bertha) Leonard opened a millinery shop in 1905.

And in 1908 Mrs. Bertha Belt opened her shop, which was still going in 1915. This article from the Great Northwest Magazine dated December, 1909, describes her business: “Oh the joy and expectations with which the female inhabitants of Delano hailed the opening of Mrs. Bertha Belt’s millinery store last December. To say the store is the embodiment of neatness and tidiness is unnecessary when one know the proprietor. She handles millinery of the first degree and aids greatly in pleasing the public because of the fact that she has many original ideas that are very striking and artistic and seems to have a peculiar knack of putting up extremely stylish hats at a nominal cost. No matter what one’s station in life, Mrs. Belt always has a hat, or can readily trim one, that will suit the buyer. The presence of such an artistic milliner is an untold, unlimited benefit and convenience to the people of Delano. Mrs. Belt’s geniality and untiring efforts have won for her friends by the score. When once she has been engaged to trim a hat, it is so satisfactorily doe in every detail that it means a come-back the following season.”

Although the general stores carried women’s clothing and accessories, these business were owned and run by women for women.