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Brooklyn Shop Caters to Lady Laborers
By
Sabrina Jaszi
Published Feb 16, 2010
Modified Feb 16, 2010
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By
Sabrina Jaszi
Published Feb 16, 2010
Modified Feb 16, 2010
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Bearing a window display of brightly colored hard hats and Rosie the Riveter posters, a new-ish Prospect Heights store sells gear for female construction workers and the ladies of the MTA, FDNY and NYPD. "I couldn't walk into a regular store and get anything that was comfortable or fit. Dealing with oversized gear is dangerous, so I had a vision," said Deidre Douglas, who opened the store a year ago. Now, in the small but growing world of female laborers Woman Up! is making a name for itself as the place to get the goods to do the job.
The Washington Avenue shop peddles boots, gloves, safety goggles, harnesses, work pants, and more—all in sizes that won't overpower a delicate (or voluptuous) female frame, reports the Daily News. Much of the stuff is in men's size Small, because manufacturers simply don't make it in 2s, 4s, or 6s. But working with your hands doesn't mean you can't be feminine: Douglas carries matching pink hard hats and tool boxes because, she says, "some women love pink and don't care if they're on the construction site. They want pink."
Woman Up! customers come in all shapes, sizes and professions. "I get people who come in that I'd never thought of," said Douglas. "I get people who do sets for television shows, people who build cages for zoo animals and exhibits for museums." Some are even male! For those women who've struggled in the industry, like 48-year-old Liz McKeller, a concrete worker in Fort Greene, the retailer is something special. "There's no other store like this," she said.
Tagged
blue collar
construction worker
fdny
female
laborer
MTA
union
woman up!
women
workerm nypd
Sabrina Jaszi
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