Alice Jolly

Alice Jolly and her husband, George, ran one of Brighton's hat shops for ladies in the late 1800s. In 1893, after George died at age 49, Alice became the sole proprietor of the Jolly Millinery Shop because she had two small children, Harry, 9, and Beulah, 6. Balancing her responsibilities as a mother and as the owner and operator of the business was a difficult challenge, and it was very unusual for a woman to own a business at that time. Alice and the children lived in the flat above the shop at 325 W. Main Street next to Ratz Hardware. Alice died in 1928 at age 77, and she, George, and their two children are buried in Brighton's Old Village Cemetery.

Brighton, Michigan · United States