ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Martha Matilda Harper moved to Rochester from Canada in 1882 and went on to create a business empire that changed how we get our hair done and how franchises operate today.
WATCH: Old newspaper clippings highlight Rochester’s Martha Matilda Harper
Harper’s story begins as a domestic servant. Before coming to Rochester, she worked for a doctor who handed over a recipe for a tonic. She made it her own and started an empire…