History with petticoats: Madison’s old dress shops
MADISON – As the annual Madison Street Festival approaches and Main Street Madison looks to expand businesses in historic downtown Madison, it feels timely to look back on businesses of days past that occupied downtown Madison.
Previous articles have touched on very early businessowners in Madison, such as J.J. Akers, Thomas J. Clay, George W. Martin, and others. This article will highlight later, but still historic, Madison businessowners.
Barbara Ann Hughes was born a fourth-generation resident of Madison in 1923 to farmer and cousin to Doc Hughes of Hughes Hardware Gordon Hughes and his wife Mattye Bell Hughes. Barbara married Donald Spencer, a native of Huntsville, in 1941. The Spencers were married for 67 years, and in that time, were very involved in Madison.
Donald belonged to American Legion Post 229 and served as a fireman and on the city council, school board, planning board, Airport Planning Commission, and Industrial Board.
Barbara owned and operated one of Madison’s earliest dress shops, Barbara’s Dress Shop, for around 30 years. The dress shop was located at 108 Main Street, where Lemon & Lavender is currently located. In addition to owning the dress shop, Barbara was active in the Madison United Methodist Church. Her 2008 obituary shares, “She was a longtime member of the church choir, following in the footsteps of her mother, who was the church organist for 40 years.”
Barbara and Donald lived in the historic Riddle- Hughes-Spencer House at 301 Church Street.
Barbara was not alone in the dress business in Madison in the mid- to late twentieth century. Mabel Patterson Sawyer opened Pat’s Dress Shop in downtown Madison in the 1950s.
“She worked in Huntsville at the Redstone Arsenal Hospital as a secretary during World War II. After the war, she was a model in New York,” reads her obit- uary.
Sawyer channeled her style and fashion sense after her time modeling into her Madison dress store.
Today, several stores are following in the clothier footsteps of Spencer and Sawyer, including Kathleen’s Bridal, Barefield’s, Lemon & Lavender, and Favorite Things.
