Bay State Hats, Inc.

 As time marched forward into the 20th century, the manufacturing base of the City of Holyoke went beyond thread, paper, and textiles. This is the story of another type of business that contributed to the economic vitality of Holyoke, the Bay State Hat Company.

On August 9, 1937, Bay State Hats, Inc. was chartered in Massachusetts. The business involved designing and manufacturing women's hats for major city wholesalers. The company operated at 56 Canal Street in the former Hadley Co. and Lyman Mills complex on the west side of the second-level canal.

The initial incorporator of the business was Morris Ferber of Springfield, Mass. However, within two months, he relinquished his position and the four Blum brothers. Philip Blum became the President, Harry Blum the corporate Treasurer. In New York City,  David and Julius Blum managed the sales offices. Philip Blum has 14 years of prior experience in the millinery field.

Numerous classified ads in the Help Wanted section sought several different talents, including sewers, pasters, blockers, straw operators, cutters, buffers, power sewing machine operators, preparers, trimmers, and examiners. Although several of these terms are no longer in common usage, they once played a significant role in the manufacturing of stylish hats.

In 1943, Bay State Hats received a stroke of good fortune when Chris Fischer was assigned on a temporary detail to work at the Roger Smith Hotel. The so-called short-term assignment lasted until the hotel closed in 1960.

His wife, Alyce (Al-ees) Fischer, was born in Paris, France, and worked in a millinery shop for three years as an apprentice without pay. She then passed the exam to become a milliner. If one failed the exam, it meant six additional months of training without pay. She worked as a Parisian hat designer for several years before leaving for the USA.

She was employed by Brook-Weiss on 57th Street in New York City and then in the French Fashion Department at Saks Fifth Avenue. 

Ms. Fischer was introduced to Philip Blum at the Roger Smith Hotel and went on to join and work with him in the hat business for 26 years. She had her own hat label called "Miss Alyce." She was known throughout the region for her creativity. Paris designs had arrived in Holyoke.

The company always had about 6,000 hats at various stages of completion on the floor. Dyeing of the flowers was done in-house. Straw braids were imported from Switzerland, and veilings and feathers from France. The expert handwork was elaborate, detailed, and high-end.

By 1953, the company had 125 employees and was expanding its footprint by 5,000 square feet, bringing its total to 20,000 square feet. Philip Blum anticipated adding 50 to 75 additional employees.

Through 1953, workers had rejected previous attempts of the United Hatters, Cap, and Millinery Union to represent the employees. However, shortly thereafter, workers voted to unionize. A strike that lasted 22 weeks occurred in 1956,

From 1955 to 1960, Bay State Hat attempted to purchase the building it occupied. Holyoke Gas & Electric wanted to exit the real estate business and agreed to sell for $35,000, as Bay State Hat had offered. However, the final approval stalled at the aldermanic level over the entire period. 

Once it was approved, Holyoke Water Power insisted that either Holyoke Gas & Electric or Har-Phil (acronym for Harry and Philip Blum) Corp., the real estate wing of Bay State Hat, maintain the canal walls. Neither party was willing to take on this potentially enormous obligation, so the sale fell through.

On June 7, 1966, the plant closed its doors in a bankruptcy action. It had hoped to restructure its debts; however, an agreement could not be reached. The retail Millinery Outlet on Main Street temporarily closed but subsequently reopened with Alyce Fischer and Philip Blum.

Citations:

Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations include Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican, with publication dates and pages shown.