Sarah E. Goode

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Sarah E. Goode was born into slavery in 1850. At the end of the Civil War, as a free woman, she answered the entrepreneurial call and moved to Chicago. There she soon opened a furniture store to service the large influx of people heading to the midwestern metropolis-a viable customer base. While working hard at building her business, Goode kept her eyes open for new money making opportunities.

She realized that the small spaces in city apartments hardly allowed residents enough room for beds. In her mind, she conceived a space-saving contraption and later designed what she described as a “folding cabinet bed.” Goode had established herself as a pioneering businesswoman; now she was also a visionary inventor. The stylish piece she conceptualized-the predecessor of today’s hideaway bed-was a great leap forward in the home furnishings domain. It was complete with mattress and spring support. And it was functional; Goode’s invention was also a desk that included shelves, a roll-top cover, extended tabletop surface, and compartments for stationery and writing materials.

With this design, she made her claim to fame as the first African American woman to receive a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1885. Sarah E. Goode’s story remains a source of inspiration for African Americans and women in business. She conquered the odds, as a former slave and as a woman living in times when her race and gender were automatic setbacks. Moreover, she was innovative-a quality that paved her way to profit making.

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