Holyoke Memories: Pratt & Austin Company, Inc.

The Pratt & Austin Company was founded by Leonard C. Pratt and F. Raymond Austin. The co-founder's origins were as workers for the Highland Manufacturing Co. in Holyoke; Mr. Pratt as a manager and Mr. Austin as plant superintendent.

During the depression, they formed the Pratt & Austin Company, a high-risk venture during dismal economic conditions. Initially, the plant was located in Springfield and moved to Holyoke in 1935.

The company specialized in paper finishing, producing fine stationery and envelopes, which were sold nationwide. Its line of products included Old Monastery, Pen Ease, and the Old Hampshire series. More items are shown later in this story.

The plant was initially located at 218 Race Street. In February 1941, the company expanded and moved into the second floor of the Baker-Vawter building at 686 Main Street. This was at the southeast corner of Main and Berkshire Streets.

In October 1941, Pratt & Austin purchased the former Goetz Silk Mill building at 642 South Summer Street at the corner of Jackson. The move was delayed until 1942, as the prior owners, Propper-McCallum Silk Hosiery Co., needed additional time to vacate.

In November 1941, it was announced that Springfield's Colonial Studios Inc., noteworthy for a quarter century in producing greeting cards, would relocate to the second floor of the recently purchased building. The company employed 200, and its officers included Mr. Pratt and Mr. Austin. This company would commence operating in Holyoke in March 1942.

The third floor of the building was rented by NYA, and that concern would remain.

In 1947, Colonial Studios was purchased by a New York firm and moved its operations in 1950 to Greenwich, Connecticut.

Some of the space was taken by the Keebler Biscuit Company as a central distribution center. Additional space in 1950 was taken by Hendron Mfg. Co., formerly of Canal Street, which employed 25.

Pratt & Austin took over the famous Hampshire papeterie line of South Hadley's Hampshire Paper Co., which went out of business in 1953.

The bulk of the paper used by Pratt & Austin was purchased from Holyoke's Crocker-McElwain Company. One million pounds of paper were purchased from this company in 1959.

In 1960, Leonard Pratt, along with his two sons, Richard and Robert, purchased the interest of F. Raymond Austin and became the sole owners of the business.

By 1965, the company was growing so rapidly that it considered a 20,000-square-foot addition to its South Summer Street plant. By 1973, a 26,000-square-foot addition for manufacturing and warehousing was completed.

In 1974, the company purchased the factory at 686 Main Street, which it had occupied briefly in 1941. A portion of the plant would be used for warehousing and shipping. The Data Documents that sold the building to Pratt & Austin would remain in the building as tenants.

Barely one year later, the company announced a reduction in staff from 180 to 85 due to a nationwide economic downturn.

In August of 1975, the company opened an outlet store at 686 Main Street. The store operated two days a week, selling stationery, cards, candles, crafts, macrame, calendars, and a variety of gift items.

The 80,000-square-foot warehouse was sold to HERCO in 1984. Plans were to build a trash-burning plant on the site.

Pratt & Austin then sought and obtained a tax-exempt Massachusetts Industrial Revenue Bond of $692,000 to build a 25,000-square-foot addition on So. Summer Street. Two years previously, in 1982, a $250,000 city loan was approved to purchase new factory equipment.

In the early 2000s, the Pratt & Austin Company was sold to Specialty Loose Leaf Inc. The entirety of the three acres of real estate bounded by South Canal Street, South Summer Street, and Jackson Street, plus an empty lot on South Summer Street, was sold to Valley Green Inc. in 2003.

Citations:

Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican); Orlando (Florida) Sentinel; publication dates and pages are shown.