SARA GAVIN
The Charleston Daily Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Adele McFarland has uncovered the secret to longevity.
"Never quit working," she says.
The Sissonville resident is certainly qualified to dole out advice on the subject.
McFarland turned 90 Oct. 10.
How did she choose to celebrate nine decades of life? The nonogenarian hopped on a bus and traveled to Charleston's Town Center Mall to work an eight-hour shift in the Macy's Menswear Department.
For more than 20 years, McFarland has been making that trek from her home in Sissonville to the Town Center Mall, logging 15 to 20 hours every week at Kaufmann's Department Store, before it became Macy's.
At her age, McFarland might not seem like much of a force for customers to contend with. But don't let the 95-pound frame, white hair, and glasses fool you. After spending most of her adult life working in retail, one thing Adele McFarland knows how to do is close a sale.
"She's as aggressive a salesperson as you'll ever see," said Tom Beard, manager of the Macy's Menswear Department in Charleston. "She'll nail you before you walk in the door."
Originally from Richmond, Va., McFarland moved to West Virginia with her husband in the 1950s. She worked at the old Diamond department store in Charleston before it closed in 1983 and once owned a bridal shop downtown with her daughter.
McFarland has experience working in pretty much every department but says she feels at home in Menswear.
"It's easier to work with men, and men are not as messy," she said.
Among her current co-workers, McFarland is considered the resident expert at meticulously folding dress shirts and ties for display. Her slender white fingers move with the agility of a woman's less than half her age, precisely pinning and molding the material into crisp creases.
"No one can do what those delicate hands can do," Beard said.
McFarland's passion is pairing dress shirts and ties with a suit. She says creating the perfect combination all comes down to the right tie.
"I love working with ties. You'd think I was a man, I'm so fascinated with ties," she said.
SARA GAVIN
The Charleston Daily Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Adele McFarland has uncovered the secret to longevity.
"Never quit working," she says.
The Sissonville resident is certainly qualified to dole out advice on the subject.
McFarland turned 90 Oct. 10.
How did she choose to celebrate nine decades of life? The nonogenarian hopped on a bus and traveled to Charleston's Town Center Mall to work an eight-hour shift in the Macy's Menswear Department.
For more than 20 years, McFarland has been making that trek from her home in Sissonville to the Town Center Mall, logging 15 to 20 hours every week at Kaufmann's Department Store, before it became Macy's.
At her age, McFarland might not seem like much of a force for customers to contend with. But don't let the 95-pound frame, white hair, and glasses fool you. After spending most of her adult life working in retail, one thing Adele McFarland knows how to do is close a sale.
"She's as aggressive a salesperson as you'll ever see," said Tom Beard, manager of the Macy's Menswear Department in Charleston. "She'll nail you before you walk in the door."
Originally from Richmond, Va., McFarland moved to West Virginia with her husband in the 1950s. She worked at the old Diamond department store in Charleston before it closed in 1983 and once owned a bridal shop downtown with her daughter.
McFarland has experience working in pretty much every department but says she feels at home in Menswear.
"It's easier to work with men, and men are not as messy," she said.
Among her current co-workers, McFarland is considered the resident expert at meticulously folding dress shirts and ties for display. Her slender white fingers move with the agility of a woman's less than half her age, precisely pinning and molding the material into crisp creases.
"No one can do what those delicate hands can do," Beard said.
McFarland's passion is pairing dress shirts and ties with a suit. She says creating the perfect combination all comes down to the right tie.
"I love working with ties. You'd think I was a man, I'm so fascinated with ties," she said.
Beard finds it easy to forget McFarland is nearly a century old. He's discovered her in the shoe stockroom climbing halfway up a six-foot ladder to retrieve a certain size, or zig-zagging through the store in search of a specific item for a customer. When Macy's made the switch from Kaufmann's in 2006, it was McFarland who helped others on the staff adjust to the constant changes.
"She's an inspiration," said Beard. "She's a real fixture around here."
Linda Melton, 72, of Charleston describes herself as an avid shopper who has relied on McFarland's sales experience for more than a half-century.
"I think she's amazing. She's just always so pleasant and helpful, never seems to be out of sorts no matter how many people are around," Melton said. "Macy's is lucky to have someone of her caliber."
A grandmother of five and great-grandmother of two, McFarland works just as hard off the clock as on. Her house sits between those owned by her two sons, both in their 50s, but it is she who takes care of them and not the other way around.
"My oldest son won't let anyone iron his clothes but me," said McFarland. "I love to iron."
The one domestic chore McFarland could live without is cooking, although she makes meals for her family members nearly every day.
"I'd rather dig ditches than cook," she said.
McFarland says her youngest son often tries to convince her to give up her job at Macy's, but the rest of her family realizes they would be fighting a losing battle.
"They all think I'm made of steel."
Macy's employees threw a 90th birthday party for McFarland complete with a cake and decorations. Adele said she was overwhelmed when people she didn't know were coming up to her, shaking her hand, giving her hugs and wishing her a happy birthday.
"I really enjoyed it and it was so nice of them to do that for me," she said.
Although McFarland is constantly being questioned about when she'll finally slow down and enjoy a well-deserved life of leisure, her response is always the same.
"Never. That wouldn't be any fun. I feel like it's wasted life if you're sitting around."
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Information from: Charleston Daily Mail, http://www.dailymail.com
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