On June 19, The Lit Salon will feature Julie Satow on the launch of her new book When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion (Doubleday). Satow, an award-winning journalist and author of the widely acclaimed 2019 book, The Plaza, draws on her expert knowledge of New York City history and culture to whisk readers back to a bygone era of innovation and glitz. Satow chronicles the rise of the department store through dazzling portraits of three female powerhouses who broke barriers and created new and evolving possibilities for working women. In the golden age of the American department store, every wish could be met under a single roof: one could take afternoon tea, browse the latest fashions, and even plan a wedding or funeral. From bustling big cities to Main Street, USA, women—shopper and shopgirl alike—found newfound opportunities for independence. Men may have owned the buildings, but inside, women ruled. Though the names of these iconic stores, from Bendel’s to Lord & Taylor, are infamous, the stories of the women who ran them have been largely lost to history—until now. WHEN WOMEN RAN FIFTH AVENUE follows three women who battled sexism, corporate hierarchies, and complex love lives to become presidents of some of America’s most famous department stores, and in the process, change American fashion forever.

A welcome cocktail will be served and a performance by The Brownstone Trio will open the event, followed by an hour of conversation and audience Q&A hosted by author and journalist Michelle Young. A book signing and mingling with complimentary drinks will conclude the event.

The Lit Salon is an intimate literary salon set to candlelight inside Maison Brooklyn, a lovingly restored, historic 1890s townhouse. Guests will be asked to remove their shoes inside the private home, so bring your best sock game!

Early bird tickets are $35 with the opportunity to purchase an autographed and dedicated copy of the book. Space is limited. Livestream tickets ($10) can be purchased here, or are free for Untapped New York Insiders. All sales final. No tickets will be sold at the door.

The Lit Salon is produced by Maison Brooklyn, with special partners Aerangis, Ode à la Rose (a same-day NYC flower delivery service), Fort Hamilton Distillery and Untapped New York.

Julie Satow is the award-winning author of The Plaza: The Secret Life of America’s Most Famous Hotel. A regular contributor to the New York Times, her work has also appeared on National Public Radio, Bloomberg Businessweek, Travel + Leisure, and elsewhere. A graduate of Columbia College, she has a Master’s Degree from Columbia University’s School of International Affairs.

Michelle Young is the author of Secret Brooklyn, Secret New York: Hidden Bars & Restaurants, Broadway, and the forthcoming narrative non-fiction book, The Art Spy, to be published by HarperOne, an imprint of Harper Collins. The Art Spy was Publisher’s Weekly Deal of the Week in August 2022. Michelle is also the founder of Untapped New York,, a Professor of Architecture at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and a scholar in the New York Public Library’s Allen Room. Michelle’s writing and photography have been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Hyperallergic, The Forward, Business Insider, Curbed, Metropolis Magazine and more. She was featured on the History Channel production The Engineering That Built the World, Netflix’s Stay Here, Smithsonian Channel’s Searching for Secrets, PBS’ 10 That Changed America, National Geographic’s Strange Truths, and Tell Me Something I Don’t Know with Stephen Dubner.