Alice Perlmutter
A woman of many talents, Alice Perlmutter has lived a long and eventful life. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York and her mother and father were embroiderers and organizers of the Union. Her careers include working in the fashion industry, running a Chinese cooking school, and buying and renting out New York apartments.
“Nothing is done in a hurry. Long, hard work is very important. You must work your way up.”
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I sit down with her by a large bright window. Her aid says to me in a warning tone, “She has a lot to tell you.” So I start off by asking her, “Is fashion what you’ve always wanted to do?” She modestly responses, “Yep that’s all I did. I was raised on fabric and fashion.” In addition to her parents being embroiderers, school really helped Perlmutter enter the fabric industry. She went to a school where she worked heavily with textiles. She went on to study at Pratt Institute, where she majored in fashion. Not long after, she was able to reach the level of a true fashion designer. She talks about her line and experience creating beautiful mother of the bride dresses. She tells me to take a textile class when I get the chance. "You'll learn more than you think about the world."
I notice her very elegant coordinated green outfit and ask her where she got it. “I made it, of course. I only wear the clothing that I make,” she responds with pride. She was a devoted fashion designer for 50 years, so of course, she wants to show off her life’s work.
“Did you know I am Chinese?” she asks. She begins to talk about how she wanted to get more in touch with her Chinese heritage, so she learned many different recipes for popular Chinese dishes. She cooked for her four children but went on to share her skills with her community. After mastering many different recipes, she started a second career in teaching Chinese cooking classes. She taught in New York City and New Rochelle. Several of her ads can be found in articles in the New York Times during the 70s. She did this for a long period of her life and during the time she lived in New Rochelle, New York with her three boys.
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Ads for Perlmutter's cooking school in the New York Times
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Later on, Perlmutter dabbled in the real estate business. In New York City, she took a gamble and bought three big houses to rent out. She explains, “I learned finances little by little. Finances are important.” The real estate world was much different from her normal career as a fashion designer and cooking instructor. “You meet nice people but also really awful people. You learn how to deal with all sorts of people, which is important in life.” I ask her what she thinks about the growing world of real estate in business in Philadelphia. As a revolutionary woman, she does not seem surprised at all about how much the world has changed. She talks about how in her apartment at Atria, she has a large window, where she marvels at all of the architecture of the city of Philadelphia. Perlmutter talks about her love for architecture she acquired from experimenting with real estate. She explains how it is similar to fabric and clothing design because it has beauty and flaws. I ask her what she thinks about the fact that all of these large companies are coming in and taking over many buildings in Philadelphia to expand. “Why not?” she exclaims. The only issue that she has is that some people will try to buy old houses, turn them into new ones, and rent them out without permits.
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From each of these impressive careers, Perlmutter states that “Nothing is done in a hurry. Long, hard work is very important. You must work your way up.”
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As I am leaving, she tells me to look in the mirror. "You will notice that neither side of your body is the same. Measure each of your arms and you will see that they are slightly different lengths. Everyone is this way."
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Alice Perlmutter recently celebrates her 100th birthday. A radio show even interviewed her as one of Philadelphia's oldest residents. She proudly shows this picture and says, "my family" with a big smile. She has children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.