Sara Spencer Washington was the founder of Apex News and Hair Company. Coming to Atlantic City from Virginia in 1911, she began her Apex News and Hair Company empire in 1920.
It became so prosperous that she sponsored a parade down Arctic Avenue every Easter from 1946 on, to fight racism at annual Boardwalk parades.
At the 1939 New York World’s Fair, she was honored as one of the “Most Distinguished Businesswomen” for her Apex empire of beauty company, schools, and products.
Washington also gave back to her community, founding a nursing home called Apex Rest in Atlantic City, and the Apex Golf Club, one of the first African-American owned golf courses in the nation.
Washington’s international recognition from her 1939 award enhanced both her business empire and the status of African American women, as her business empire had enabled her to become one of America’s first black millionaires.
