By Mary O’KEEFE

Women’s History Month is a time to be proud that there are more women-owned businesses than at any other time in history. It is also a time to keep an eye in the rear view mirror to remember those who came before to create present-day opportunities.

“To be honest, I think I was in banking just as things were changing, which was a good time for me,” said Phyllis Harb.

Phyllis is a Realtor and owner of Harb & Co, a division of Coldwell Bankers Global Luxury and Hallmark Realty. Prior to real estate she worked in banking and when she started her career in banking the industry was shifting, ever so slowly, away from the norm ­– white male executives – to a more diverse employment staff.

“The [banks] were encouraged to advance women in my business but that was because of the brave women who went before us and cleared the path,” she said.

When she first started in banking, her cousin was a secretary for the president of the bank.

“I remember them hiring an assistant to the president, a man, and he took over the reports she was doing and basically did her job but had a better title and [made more money],” she said.

Phyllis added as a Realtor she doesn’t feel gender is as much of a factor as how hard a person works and the reputation that can be built.

“Because I am my own boss it’s up to me how far up I go,” she said.

She said that while in banking she never felt that she was competing with men.

“But there were certain roles that men got to play. I [knew] I wasn’t going to be an executive vice president, but I may get a chance at something lower,” she said.

She did notice a lot of inappropriate behavior in banking that would not be allowed today.

“That behavior was perfectly acceptable then,” she said.

She did add that, at one point, she was transferred to another branch after she refused to date her boss.

Phyllis credits the feminist movement for the positive changes toward women found in business.

“Because of [those in the feminist movement] I am where I am today because of the women who went before me who fought and had to struggle,” she said.

And paying it forward, Phyllis has inspired her own daughter to know no boundaries in starting her own business.

Krissy Harb is the owner of Spiritual Heart Yoga Center in La Cañada Flintridge.

“No doubt my mom,” said Krissy of who motivated her. “I grew up watching her run her own business and was so inspired.”

She also credits her grandma as a strong role model.

“My grandma was also a real estate agent,” she said.

She said on one Christmas her grandma did not have enough money to buy presents. To ensure her children had a good Christmas she worked at a variety of jobs to bring in enough money to support her family and to make sure they didn’t find an empty space under the Christmas tree.

Although Krissy’s career is in more of a women-driven industry, she still knows the struggles a woman-owned business faces.

Even today, the perception of a strong woman is different from that of a strong man. For example, if a woman makes a mistake it is usually analyzed and criticized more than those of her male counterpart.

“Without the women or [supportive] men in my family, I would not be able to do this,” she said. “I am living my dream, I am doing what I love.”

She does often think about family and business, a concern that many women face. Women often sacrifice their careers to raise a family but she has seen that women can have both a family and a career with the help and support of other women.

  “When you need support it is women who rise to meet the needs of the community, which is why we are able to do both [have a career and a family],” she said.

She does wish that someone had told her how many long hours she would work being her own boss. This is something that Maureen and Jessica Palacios know very well.

For about 19 years Maureen has owned Once Upon a Time bookstore in Montrose. Her daughter Jessica is now the manager and buyer for the store.

“We had to close the shop in March 2020 and, thankfully, we had a website up [and running],” Maureen said. “We pivoted to lots of online sales.”

The store saw its online sales increase almost 1,800%.

“It was incredible,” she said.

Of course that meant that Jessica and her mom had to stay at the store until the early morning hours preparing boxes of books to be shipped to customers.

During COVID, when schools had closed but there was still required reading, Once Upon A Time was able to close that gap by having needed books ready for students.

“Now we are in a different place,” Maureen said of the bookstore’s doors opening up again. “We had so much positive community outpouring.”

Maureen added the bookstore thrived during a very dark time because of that community support but also because of their very active online business that came from across the nation and around the world.

Maureen and Jessica have always worked to give fans a chance to meet their authors in person with special book signings and readings at the store. During the pandemic they never stopped that outreach, they just went the virtual route. The two hosted one of the first Facebook live events for authors, like one with author Stuart Gibbs. They recently held an event that had Gibbs on Facebook live for half of the time, so he could reach out to customers across the country. They then were able to open the doors to have an in-person book signing.

Just as they had to pivot to virtual events, they are now getting used to going back to in-person events, like a recent one with author and illustrator Dan Santat.

“We were supposed to be outside and he brought his 8-week old puppy, and we had lines [of people to see them],” Maureen said.

She said that they survived the pandemic in part due to the support of many authors including local author and illustrator Benson Shum, who reached out to his readers and directed them to the Once Upon A Time to order their books.

They are gradually getting back to in-person schoolbook fairs, but are still planning online events and selling online. All of this is part of running a successful business.

  “Efficiency is the name of the game,” Maureen said.

And for Jessica, it is moving the business forward and learning more about how to be efficient, taking the lead from her mom.

“I just finished a class on inventory management,” Jessica said. “I am trying to keep up and learn new things and then use that knowledge to keep us going.”

Jessica and Maureen admit they have a philosophy that has guided them. They believe everyone has a story and every story is worth telling.

“We want kids to come in and see themselves in a book,” Maureen said. “We want to celebrate those stories.”

Jessica added she loves being on the floor and meeting with customers. She is watching kids grow up in the store like she did.

“We are a good, safe place for them,” Jessica said.

Maureen said her grandmother was a strong female influence for her.

“She was one of the first pediatric dentists in Illinois, she was a pioneering woman,” she said.

So Maureen made sure that her two daughters had a female pediatrician and female dentist.

Jessica has seen a little pushback now and then about being a young, female business owner.

“There are a lot of women in the book industry. It’s pretty even [between men and women],” she said, but there are still some misconceptions. “The [other day] a customer asked to speak to the owner. I said, ‘Well, what can I [help] you with?’ The customer said, ‘No, I want the manager, I want to talk to him.’”

Phyllis Harb can be reached at phyllis@harbandco.com.

Krissy Harb’s studio is located at 2509 Honolulu Ave. in Montrose; her website is spritualheartyoga.com

Once Upon A Time bookstore is located at 2207 Honolulu Ave. in Montrose; the website is www.shoponceuponatime.com.