The Shop

In preparation for the opening, Welch stocked her store with clothes from American designers in a medium price range. Almost sold out after just two days, she traveled to New York to restock. Her first customers included congressional wives, Virginia Rusk (wife of Secretary of State Dean Rusk), and friends in Alexandria. 

Welch described her business as “an American shop, with American clothes, for American women.” She offered a selection of classic, practical, and relatively affordable garments by designers including Oscar de la Renta, Geoffrey Beene, Halston, Adele Simpson, and Mollie Parnis.

Welch created many cozy areas where she could provide a quiet space for high profile customers, or a comfortable nook for visiting with special friends. She recalled the shop’s interior: “We had lovely racks built in three rooms [on the first floor] and the fourth quadrant included the dressing rooms. There was a ballroom upstairs, running the entire right hand side of the building, which was unusual for that era.”

In a community obsessed with protocol because of the complexities of political life and international interactions, Welch’s clear fashion guidance and refined style found an eager audience. The prominent women in Washington, D.C.,—mostly wives of politicians, diplomats, and military leaders rather than elected or appointed officials themselves when Welch began her career—attended an endless calendar of formal events often covered by the media, elevating the importance and influence of their fashion choices.

Welch served the fashion needs of countless women in the Washington area. One reporter noted in 1975 that “many political wives wouldn’t purchase a necklace without consulting Frankie first.” 

Bill was a crucial support for Frankie as she pursued her professional career. They shared an interest in the historical sources that informed many of her designs, and both enjoyed the success she achieved. His embrace of her work during their thirty-year marriage also helped her balance a busy job with time for her family. He died of lung cancer in 1975. Welch’s daughter Genie began working in the shop full time in 1978 and took over management of the retail business in 1982.

The year 1983 marked the twentieth anniversary of Frankie Welch of Virginia. Welch organized numerous events and launched a custom fragrance, named “Frankie,” that was described as “a mix of roses, violets and lavender,” like “a stroll in a Virginia garden.”

Welch opened branches of her shop in several other cities, including in Birmingham, Alabama, from 1974 until 1976 or 1977; Atlanta, Georgia, from 1977 until around 1980; and Washington, D.C. from 1978 until about 1984.

In February 1990, the Washington Post proclaimed, “Alexandria Shop Ends a Fashionable Era,” and reported that “former first ladies, wives of governors and native Washingtonians were stunned and saddened.” Lady Bird Johnson called Welch to reminisce when she heard the news. Though the shop closed, Welch continued her design business.

By the mid-1990s, Welch began to slow down. She also began to experience issues with her memory. In 2001 she moved to Westminster-Canterbury of the Blue Ridge, a senior living community in Charlottesville, Virginia, near her daughter Peggy. She resided in the Memory Wing of Westminster for many years, and died in 2021. Both of her daughters continue to enjoy, protect, and share their mother’s legacy.