Pearl ...
Born in 1896, Pearl was the fourth child in her family living in Caxambu,
Brazil. Her parents had a small farm on the edge of the beautiful town known
for its mineral springs, whose motto is “medicine among flowers.” When she
was eight years old she went to live with her aunt on the banks of the Rio Doce basin, near Ipatinga.
Pearl’s aunt worked on a coffee plantation, and was well respected. Pearl was
one of the few girls to attend a school on the farm and worked along side her
aunt late in the day. From an early age, she learned to appreciate the aroma
of one of the world’s best lines of Arabica coffee beans. She learned how to
know the best beans, how to grow and cultivate them, how they are picked and
sorted. She watched her aunt, and others, roast and brew a drink that to them
was the nectar of the gods.
Finding herself at age 15 about to be wed to a young man she hardly knew,
Pearl decided it was time to start a new life. Having worked in the coffee
trade for seven years, she knew many of those involved in the coffee markets
and the merchants who used the Rio Doce to ship the coffee out of Brazil and
around the world. Using her feminine wiles, Pearl traveled via ship first to
Caracas for a six month stay; this is where she learned to dance and stay up late.
Knowing there was more to life, Pearl joined an old shipping friend and made
her way to the land where the streets were paved with gold, or so she was
told. New York City would never be the same.
English came easy to Pearl and within 6 months she was fluent. She met Jacob
Fabian when she was 18 at the opening of his Regent Theater, the first
“moving picture” facility in the rapidly growing Passaic County. They were
instant friends and companions. She helped design and run the concessions.
The coffee was considered superb as she had the connections for only the
finest from Brazil. At around the time of the opening of “The Fabian” in 1925
Pearl decided she had enough of the theater business life and wanted to have
some fun.
Moving into New York City, Pearl quickly joined the world of the Flapper. Her
knowledge of theaters, life long love of coffee, spirit of adventure,
propensity to dance all came together at a time when Jazz was the rage,
George Gershwin, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Robert Benchley, and Anita Loos were
shaping the cultural world.
Living next door to Stephen Wise, Pearl most likely influenced his child
labor beliefs with stories of her youth as he influenced Pearl’s
understanding of morals and ethics. Unknown to many of her friends, Pearl
volunteered her services in food kitchens and worked with charities in the
city. She earned money running several concessions at the Jazz and movie
theaters, her knowledge of coffee becoming legendary as the coffee served
was second to none. In fact, Frank Hardart himself hired Pearl as a
consultant when he realized that the nickel cup of coffee would be vital to
his chain of automats in New York.
Devastatingly widowed at age 35, Pearl combined her love of Jazz, dancing,
and coffee to become one of the most popular figures in the lower east side.
She used her contacts with coffee importers to deal directly with the
smaller privately owned plantations back home along the Rio Doce. The image
of a strong woman raising a family, raising a ruckus, and raising a cup of
joe bar none was inspiring to all.
