13 www.CharlestonWomenPodcast.com | www.ReadCW.com | www.Instagram.com/CharlestonWomen Stokes and the legal landscape of the area reflects it well. Another profession once dominated by men is Charleston’s real estate market, but someone was sure to break that glass ceiling. Susan Pringle Frost is credited with being that woman. Born at the Miles Brewton House on King Street to a prominent Charleston family, she was forced to enter the workplace when her father’s rice and fertilizer businesses failed. She became a court stenographer, but her passion was historic preservation. In 1909, Frost borrowed money to purchase two small houses on Tradd Street, a derelict neighborhood at the time. She then became a real estate agent and led other investors to purchase and restore homes in that area, including painting the exterior of what came to be known as Rainbow Row. Frost helped to establish the Preservation Society of Charleston in 1920 and pushed city officials to pass the country’s first zoning ordinances in 1931, ensuring protection of the historic districts. Today, real estate firms like Katherine Cox + Co. are not only owned by women, but have an allwomen team of realtors. Another firm, Real Estate House International (REHI), was established in 2020 by two women to support people of color in buying and selling property. According to broker and co-owner Natalie Wright, “Our visionary black-womenowned company is committed to redefining the real estate landscape while empowering marginalized communities to achieve financial security and prosperity.” Like Frost, the name Elizabeth Jenkins Young is frequently associated with early efforts to preserve Charleston’s unique and historical properties. But Young was also the first woman tour guide in Charleston after successfully completing the city’s required course in 1952. Three decades later, when Charleston’s tourism industry began to take off, Linda Wohlfeil was at the forefront of elevating the tour business. “At the time, there was only one company that offered tours by minibus — Greyline,” she said. “The people at Charleston Place kept asking me to offer private tours and transportation for corporate groups staying there, but they had to charter buses from Columbia.” So, Wohlfeil decided to open her own business to meet the demand. Through her company, Absolutely Charleston, she eventually ended up with 16 vehicles of various sizes for running tours. Wohlfeil transformed the company to a destination management company in 2002 to plan activities and events for corporate and private groups. She sold the business five years ago and now offers private tours through her subsequent enterprise, Exclusively Charleston. Today, many women own businesses in Charleston’s tourism industry. Across the bridge in Mount Pleasant, more trailblazing females can be found. In 1939, Margurite Johnson, a black resident of the Old Village, purchased the property where she and her husband had established a funeral home a decade earlier. Her husband was the mortician and the couple hired several women to work for them. Upon his death in 1953, Johnson continued the business and became the first female mortician in Mount Pleasant. “I’ve run the business alone since my husband died and it keeps me very busy,” she said in a later interview. Those who knew her described her as a “no-nonsense, savvy businesswoman” who was adept at navigating the varying aspects of the field. Beyond being an accomplished businesswoman, Johnson played an integral part in her community and was known for her benevolence. She supported local churches and donated to political parties as well as local and state clubs, often hosting the meetings at her home Feature Susan Pringle Frost courtesy of the Preservation Society of Charleston.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjcyNTM1