Sara Pennoyer: Twentieth-century retail and advertising executive and her creation, Polly Tucker, Merchant

Twentieth-century American retail and advertising executive Sara Pennoyer gained varied fashion industry experience during the course of a long career, which included stints as promotion director at Harper’s Bazaar, advertising copywriter, buyer, fashion reporter and even novelist. In the 1930s and the 1940s, Pennoyer served as sales promotion manager, and later vice president, for New York specialty store Bonwit Teller, where her novel in 1937, Polly Tucker: Merchant, and the related campaign were a highlight of her career. Pennoyer’s work was grounded on a firm foundation of writing ability, paired with a creative ability to connect to consumers. Near the end of her career, Pennoyer headed her own advertising agency. Sara Pennoyer was one of the now little-known twentieth-century women who forged a fruitful career path in the American retail industry.