Catering to the more prosperous gentlemen of Cripple Creek, Pearl’s ladies were the most beautiful of any parlour in the camp, wore fine clothing, received monthly medical exams, and were paid well. And though the “good” women of Cripple Creek shuddered at the thought, Pearl pranced through the camp in a small open carriage, led by a team of fine black horses almost daily.  Dressed in a different beautiful costume on every outing, her clothes were the envy of the women and produced the desired effect on the men, as they stared at her with longing.

Horrified at Pearl’s outings and the fact that Pearl’s ladies dared to shop on Bennett Avenue, the “good” women of the camp complained. Soon, Marshal Wilson regulated the shopping hours of “the girls,” allowing them to visit the stores only during “off hours.”  In addition, each “working lady” was required to pay a six dollar monthly tax and madams were charged sixteen dollars a month. However, business was brisk and this did little to diminish the popularity of the parlor houses. Meanwhile, Pearl continued her lively forays in her carriage through the streets of the camp. Children were forbidden to walk near Myers Avenue and were made to shield their eyes when Pearl paraded by in her fine carriage.

Soon, Pearl would meet a man named C.B. Flynn, the owner of a small mill. The two married in 1895; however, Pearl continued to run her profitable business. Not long after they were married, a fire raged through the camp, destroying Pearl’s business, Flynn’s mill, and most of the business district of the camp.

The fire ruined Flynn financially and in order to get back on his feet, he accepted a job smelting iron and steel and Monterrey, Mexico. However, Pearl remained in Cripple Creek, intent on rebuilding her business. And rebuild, she did, with the finest parlour house that the city had ever seen. Opening in 1896, the two-story brick building was named “The Old Homestead.” Pearl spared no expense in decorating the opulent parlour, importing wallpaper from Paris and outfitting it with the finest of hardwood furniture, expensive carpets, crystal electric chandeliers and leather-topped gaming tables. The house even included a telephone, an intercom system, and two bathrooms, at a time when such things were mostly unheard of.