Many of the mills established in Holyoke during the 19th and 20th centuries originated in the city. This story concerns one of the outliers, the Totsy Manufacturing Company ("Totsy").
Totsy was a doll clothing manufacturing business founded by Benjamin Goldband and Samuel Leavitt of Springfield in 1930. The company operated out of several locations in that city until 1960.
The growing company's owners needed substantial warehouse space, so they were referred to Holyoke Attorney Samuel Resnic for assistance. The offer for the One Bigelow Street plant was so beneficial to the company that it was decided to move the entire company from its State St., Springfield location once its lease expired.
Its new location was One Bigelow Street, at the corner of Cabot, a building once occupied by the Farr Alpaca Company until its demise in the late 1930s. At this time, the company was headed by the late Benjamin Goldband's brothers, Shefford and Charles.
By 1967, the company had 190 employees designing, marketing, sewing, and packing doll clothing. The number of employees varied based on seasonal demands.
In 1977, Totsy, Dual Manufacturing, and Mastex Industries formed Cabot Associates to purchase and demolish the nearby mill on Bigelow St., once occupied by the bankrupt Pioneer Valley Finishing Co.
The city demolished the building with federal community development money.
Dual Manufacturing and Engineering Co. planned to build a 30,000-square-foot building on the site, with Cabot Associates using the remaining 70,000-square-foot parcel for parking. However, although Cabot Associates purchased the 2.5-acre parcel for $28,000 in 1979, I don't believe this project occurred.
In 1983, the company sought seamstresses to sew in their own homes.
The manufacture of doll clothing continued to fit the popular brands of the day, Barbie, Pound Puppies, and Cabbage Patch. A factory store was opened in the 1980s to sell directly to consumers.
The company received trademarks for portions of its line, including Sandi, Kerri, Nature's Way, and Goody Kool Shooz.
By 1996, the space formerly occupied by rows of sewing machines was now used to store packaging for new products and samples. Production was transferred overseas to Hong Kong and China. At the Holyoke facility, 15 employees worked in sales and marketing, new product design and development, and the executive offices.
The company distributed its products throughout the U.S., Canada, and 50 other countries. Packaging was designed in nine different languages.
Major customers included Target, Walmart, Toys R Us, and the company also manufactured under private label brands for retailers such as F. A. O. Schwartz.
By 1998, only 10% of Totsy's product line related to doll clothes, as the company embarked on dolls and accessories, toy miniature animal figures, and stuffed animals, and the era's trends. There were over 300 items available beyond doll clothing.
In 2001, the mill building was sold to IO, IO Realty Company, the real estate arm of Diamond Water Systems Inc., which then moved from 530 Main Street.
The Totsy Manufacturing Corporation filed its annual reports with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through 2007 and was subsequently dissolved by the state in 2012.
According to the Holyoke Assessors' Office, the property has been transferred several times.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Registry of Deeds, Hampden County, Springfield, Massachusetts
City of Holyoke, Massachusetts, Assessors' Office
No comments:
Post a Comment