Women's Exchange of Brooklyn records

The Women's Exchange of Brooklyn was founded in 1854 as the Brooklyn Female Employment Society. The Society was a benevolent organization that furnished employment to women whose circumstances compelled them to work from home. The Exchange instructed women in hand crafts and provided a marketplace for selling their work. In 1923, the Exchange merged with the Brooklyn Decorative Art Society and Women's Exchange to become The Needlework Society and Exchange of Brooklyn. The current name was adopted 1936. In its early days, the Women's Exchange established sewing schools to train women in sewing skills and techniques. Later, the Exchange opened a storefront in Brooklyn Heights to sell hand-crafted wares on consignment, including knitted goods, children's apparel, baked goods, and handmade toys. The Women's Exchange of Brooklyn remains, as of 2024, the oldest continuously-operating member of the Federation of Women's Exchanges in the United States. Its storefront is located on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights.