Martha Kostyra was born in Jersey City ,New Jersey on August3, 1941(she became Martha Stewart  when she married Andy Stewart in 1961). Martha's dad was a pharmaceutical   salesman and her wife was a housewife and a teacher. Her were fairly strict and required their children to do plenty of housework and help around the house . Martha learned how to cook and sew from her mother .She also learned about gardening by helping her father out in the yard. When Martha was in high school , she made extra money by babysitting and organizing children' parties . She was a bright student and attended Barnard College in New York city. She helped pay for her schooling through modeling jobs. In 1962, she graduated from Barnard with degrees in History and Architectural History.  Before graduating from college, Martha married Andy Stewart. After college she and Andy traveled and Martha continued to model. Martha had her only child, a daughter named Alexis, in 1965. Two years later, Martha wanted to go to work. She got a job as a stockbroker in New York City and worked for six years. In 1971,Martha and Andy purchased a farmhouse they called Turkey Hill in Westport, connecticut. After quitting her job, Martha spent her time completely restoring the old farmhouse. She also studied how to cook and became an excellent gourmet chef. One day Martha decided to put her cooking skills to the test by opening up her own catering business. She cooked food and hosted large dinner parties and quickly became a success. Through her books and television appearances, Martha soon became famous . In the 1990s, she began to expand her business . She started a magazine called Martha Stewart Living, a popular newspaper column, and her own television show. The name Martha Stewart became a brand that was worth millions of dollars . In 1997, she formed a company called Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She was president and CEO. She took the company public in 1999, selling shares in the company. At one point her estimated wealth was nearly $1 billion. She also had her own band of products at stores like Home Depot, K-Mart, Macy's and Sears. She also worked with home builders to design Martha Stewart inspired homes. Martha has NOT been a
baby-sitter stockbroker caterer home builder