Welcome to Madame's Mercantile Bio page!

Sue McDonald is the proprietress of Madame's Mercantile; a web-based business that arose from the difficulty in finding all those important accessories needed to complete a period-correct Victorian outfit. Sue is an accomplished seamstress, with over 30 years of experience, and she is an avid fan of historical costuming. Sue and husband Dale first started dressing in Victorian attire in the early 80's, when they owned a Victorian house in southern California, especially when they would open their Victorian home for the city's annual historic home tour. They moved to Arizona a few years ago, and discovered an active community of people who love to dress in period attire. Sue is a founding member of The Boots and Bustles Old West Social Club, and also has memberships in The Elks Opera House Guild, The Reenactment Guild of America (RGA), and the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS).

Sue is a writer, who has been published in the Wild West Gazette, Working Woman, and Somerset Studio, among others. She also writes articles of interest to the Victorian re-enactment community for Bustledress (www.Bustledress.com), Recollections (www.recollections.biz) and her own site, Madame's Mercantile (www.madamesmercantile.com.)