History2

Lynda Janet Harris, grand daughter, was the original Miss Muffet. She is now a young woman, trained in the business since she was 12 years of age.

She has designed many of the dresses, does most of the buying and managed the new Miss Muffet Shoppe in Belmont Shores in Long Beach, California.

     Ellwood R. Murphy and Helen M. Murphy had their home in Long Beach when they launched the first shop. Murphy, who died recently after a long illness was in the Los Alamitos Naval Air Base at the time, from which he retired after 41 years of duty. They built the Miss Muffet Shoppe on its present site, then just a vacant lot, with the Bank of America on the corner. The shop was built on land leased from Carl B. Shank.
     Later other shops followed the same Normandy style of architecture in the square, and location became known as Normandy Square. Dorothy Buster had a high style millinery shop on the corner, and Bee Final beautiful furs.

WORLD WIDE DISPLAY

     Miss Muffet dresses were sent throughout many large cities in the United States and even to Paris, France. They were seen at style shows and the shop won many cups.
     The children of Betty Davis, Phoebe Hearst, granddaughter of Mrs. Randolph Hearst, Kay Spreckels, now Mrs. Clark Gable, and Margaret O'Brien, the Bell Sister of Seal Beach, all had their first appearance dresses designed in the shop.

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