AVON CALLING!

DING DONG! "Avon calling!" Avon products have been around for so long and I was shocked this evening to discover that Avon has been around longer than ME! Here is some AMAZING information about Avon's early history:

Avon was strictly an American phenomenon, and a unique and pioneering one at that. The first Avon Lady was actually a man, young door-to-door salesman David McConnell from upstate New York. He launched Avon Calling in 1886, offering women cosmetics in the comfort and privacy of their own homes.

Lovely scented perfumes and hydrating hand cream were not McConnell’s initial merchandise. When McConnell was sweet sixteen, he had begun selling books door-to-door. When his books was not well received, he resorted to an advertising gimmick of offering a free introductory gift in exchange for being allowed to make a sales pitch. A complimentary vial of perfume, he thought, would be an ideal gift. He blended the original enticing scent himself with the assistance of a local pharmacist.

Lucky for him, fate stepped in! McConnell learned that women adored his perfume and preferred them over his books. Therefore, he abandoned books and organized the New York-based California Perfume Company, named in honor of a friend and investor from California. The door-to-door approach seemed well-suited for cosmetics, especially in rural areas, where homemakers, in horse-and-buggy days, had poor access to better stores.

The first female Avon Lady was Mrs. P. F. E. Albee, a widow from Winchester, New Hampshire. She began her chime-ringing career selling the company's popular Little Dot Perfume Set. In addition, she recruited other women and trained them as door-to-door salespeople. The company was re-named Avon for the simple reason that the New York State town in which David McConnell lived, Suffern on the Ramapo, reminded him of Shakespeare’s Stratford-on-Avon.

By 1887, McConnell had twelve women employees selling a line of eighteen fragrances. Fortunately, his company grew and grew. In 1939, California Perfume Company name changed to Avon Products, Inc.(10/6/39.) Regardless of the competition of expensive, exclusive American and foreign brand name cosmetics, Avon ranks first in sales nationwide, with Avon representatives ringing doorbells from coast to coast.

Avon has come a long way from the early days in 1886. With modern technology, you could receive Avon products by simply ordering products online in the comfort of your own home. In todays struggling economy, it makes PERFECT sense to save time, gasoline and extra money, rather than drive the entire way to your local mall to purchase cosmetics, jewelry, clothing or household items. By the convenient click of a button, you could place your Avon order in your cozy PJ's! Avon today may not be ringing as many doorbells, but you can guarantee that they are hearing plenty of "ching! ching!" with dollar signs adding up to a BEAUTIFUL profit!



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