Two Dixie Dames
An ancestor gave them a recipe
for making watermelon-rind
pickles, and they have developed
that recipe into a business which
is becoming national in its scope.
By ROSAMOIMI CLARK
SEVERAL years ago an ancestor
of Mrs. Marie Long Land and
Mrs. Lois Long Hiker (sisters)
developed a recipe for making water¬
melon-rind pickles.
Little did the ancestor realize that
that recipe would one day become
the nucleus for a business in States¬
ville which would receive orders from
New York to San Francisco, and
from Toronto to Miami.
But that is exactly what has taken
place.
Every year, since they have been
grown, Mrs. Land and Mrs. Riker
have been making these pickles. Upon
tasting them, people invariably be¬
came enthusiastic in their comments
of appreciation. So three years ago
the sisters decided to commercialize
this habit of theirs. They started
making watermelon-rind pickles in
an outside kitchen in the yard of
their home in Statesville, and they
had no difficulty in selling all they
could make. Then they went into the
business of putting up other varieties
of pickles, jellies, marmalades, relish¬
es and hors d'oeuvres of various kinds.
The business expanded to such an ex¬
tent that it was necessary to employ
assistants and also to obtain larger
quarters.
Now in New Quarters
Within the past month it has been
located in a new home. It is a two-
story building, the exterior being
shingled and the interior finished in
a harmonizing rustic effect. Through
the front door one comes into a wide
hall which, however, has more the
appearance of a cheerful living room
than the entrance to a business of¬
fice. The windows at opposite ends
of the hall are curtained with ma¬
terial of a rough weave and a rich
red tone. The simple furnishings,
in keeping with the rustic design, are
touched with this same shade of warm
Mrs. Franklin Riker, general mana¬
ger of the Dixie Dame Company.
red. On the left of the hall is the of¬
fice, ami back of it is a stock room
for storage of finished products. Doors
at the right lead to the packing de¬
partment and kitchen. The basement
lias plenty of space for the prepara¬
tion of the raw product and storage
of brined stock ami vinegar. The
second floor also contains a com¬
modious storage room for glassware
and package materials.
The exterior of the building has
none of the appearance of a factory.
It is located on the Winston-Salem
highway, a short distance beyond the
city limits of Statesville and is set
well back from the road. It is sur¬
rounded by a 92-acre farm on which
most of the vegetables and fruits used
in the pickling and preserving are
raised.
'“The Dixie Dame Company” is the
name under which the two sisters sell
their product. They servo railroads,
hotels and various other large or¬
ganizations, and the popularity of
Mrs. Edward M. Land, prominent
clubwoman and civic leader, is presi¬
dent of this unique business enter¬
prise.
their products is showing a steady
increase.
Both sisters have been in other
lines of work. Mrs. Land, president
of the company, is a prominent club
woman and civic leader; a former
president of the North Carolina
Federation of Women’s Clubs and an
officer of the General Federation. At
the present time she is district agent
of the North Carolina Rural Re¬
habilitation Corporation, in charge of
the offices of Districts G and 7 at
Statesville. Mrs. Riker, manager
of the company, was a professional
singer, first in New York and later
in San Francisco. In 1934, when
she and her sister decided to under¬
take the experiment of commercializ¬
ing their hobby, -Mrs. Riker obtained
a four-months’ leave of absence from
her work on the coast. So successful
did their efforts prove from the very
start that she has never returned.
More than thirty different products
— and these are by no means all —
were noted on a recent visit to the
kitchen of the Dixie Dame Company.
New items are constantly being
added.
Much of the substantial growth
of the company in three years is due,
no doubt, to Mrs. Riker's unflagging
industry, her pride in the products
of her kitchen and careful attention
to small details. No matter how
good a product, she is constantly
experimenting in an effort to improve
it. AH products arc packed by hand
in small globe-shaped jars that bear
the Dixie Dame label. This label is
in the form of a tiny cameo mednl-
( Continued on
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