Grace Carew Sheldon

After extensive travel in Europe, and wanting to do something outside society work, Sheldon founded the Woman's Exchange of Buffalo on May 1, 1886, served as its president. Starting the business with US$150 of her own money,[5] it was an organization for the disposal of handiwork of self-supporting women in the United States. She also was the founder and proprietor of Mental Clearing House for writing and handling manuscripts, as well as instruction in journalism and playwriting.[3][4]

In 1901, fourteen years after it was founded, the Buffalo Exchange had 500 subscribers from all over the U.S., and had to remove to a new location, an entire house being fitted up for the various departments to which the exchange was developed. Every sort of work that a woman could do, from weaving rag rugs to washing fine laces found customers. Sheldon engineered the affairs of the exchange independent of committees and without red tape. The consignor's fee was US$2 for a year, 10 per cent off all sales and 5 per cent off ordered work. Sheldon attributed the success of the exchange to the simplicity of the management, to a careful study of the talents of women who submitted their handiwork, and to allot to each consignor the work for which she was best fitted. She said:— "I most contributors are fine needlewomen, and most are just, prompt and agreeable to deal with. We have a great number of special workers who confine their work to our exchange. This makes us noted for our novelties and enables us to go to New York, Boston, Chicago, and other large cities and compete favorably with local firms. It also enables us to hold our customers from year to year, and thus augment our receipts. We make a specialty of house decorating, that is, all kinds of hangings, table, piano and mantel covers; and our Marie Stuart caps for evening and steamer wear have a national reputation. We can carry out any kind of work that a woman can do with promptness and perfection." [5]

In 1887, in Buffalo and other cities, Sheldon originated drawing room talks on "European Cities", on "Scott and his Novels", and on art.[3][4]

During the period of 1890 to 1900, Sheldon was a member of the staff of the Buffalo Courier.[4] She was the first American woman delegate to the International Press Congress, Bordeaux, France, September 1895, acting at the same time as correspondent for the Buffalo Courier. Sheldon was sent to South America in February, 1896, as special correspondent on the gold mine controversy, and visited Venezuela (going up the Orinoco River to Ciudad Bolívar), also Curacao, Haiti, and the other West Indies, contributing articles meanwhile to the New York City and Buffalo press.[3]

By 1891, Sheldon had become her own publisher. Discouraged in her quest for the book production of her foreign letters to the Courier, she edited her work into proper form, and with The Courier Co. as her printer, brought out her own book. As We Saw It In '90 was a good sample of a moderate-priced book.[2] In 1897, she organized an independent newspaper syndicate, which she supplied weekly as she traveled. Two years later, she authored From Pluckemin to Paris (1899).[3] It was a compilation of her letters which appeared in the columns of the Buffalo Courier, several years previous, descriptive of her travels in France. The information included things not usually found in guide-books., such as side-lights on out-of-the-way places.[6] By 1914, Sheldon was serving as the department editor of the Buffalo Times and was a special writer for various papers and magazines in the U.S.[4]

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: American Commonwealth Company (1914). Woman's Who's who of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporary Women of the United States and Canada (Public domain ed.). American Commonwealth Company. ISBN 978-0-8103-4018-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: International Magazine Company (1901). Good Housekeeping. 32 (Public domain ed.). International Magazine Company.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Johnson, Rossiter; Brown, John Howard (1904). The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans ... (Public domain ed.). Biographical Society.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Leonard, John William; Mohr, William Frederick; Holmes, Frank R. (1905). "Who's who in New York City and State" (2) (Public domain ed.). L.R. Hamersly Company. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Travel Magazine, Incorporated (1905). Travel. 8 (Public domain ed.). Travel Magazine, Incorporated.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wheeler, Edward Jewitt (1891). Current Opinion. 6 (Public domain ed.). Current Literature Publishing Company.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)