Many businesses started out small, either in the Cabot Street Mills, Whitcomb Building, or Whiting Street Building, or the Beebe-Holbrook complex. The Holyoke Shirt Company opened in the latter complex, and here's its post-World War II story.
After the war, the demand for many goods and services resulted in more business start-ups. The Imperial Shirt Co. of New York City leased 18,000 square feet of space in the Beebe-Holbrook Mill Complex from Holyoke Water Power in June 1946. Holyoke Water Power had remodeled and sectioned the sprawling former paper mill to accommodate small businesses.
Imperial Shirt Company would open a factory named the Holyoke Shirt Company. This plant specialized in finishing men's shirts. The makings of a shirt would arrive at the mill in pieces, and factory employees would sew the pieces to complete the product. The work was performed for several large shirt manufacturers. The shirt's materials were rayon and wool. A factory store would also be opened to serve the public.
Morriss Kogon, formerly of 38 Coit Street in Holyoke, was named the plant manager. He was previously the Assistant Manager of Lesnow Manufacturing in Easthampton. The new plant was scheduled to commence operations in August 1946 and be fully operational by October 1, 1946. Initially, the plan was to have 25 sewers producing 600 shirts each day.
By 1947, the plant employed 75 sewers and produced 1,800 finished garments daily. Mr. Kogon's plan for the following year was to have a total staff of 250 sewers producing 7,200 shirts daily.
By August 1954, the number of orders was slumping. The plant was down to a skeleton crew of 25. Men's shirts were not being produced. Instead, the company was making robes and other clothing for women. Mr. Kogon indicated he was seeking new orders and had no intention of closing the mill. He attributed the dropoff in orders to the higher labor rates in the northern states compared to their southern competitors.
In September 1954, Mr. Kogon was named manager of the new Midland Shirt Company in Union, Mississippi. Midland was formed and moved into the former Lebanon Shirt Company, which had recently ceased operations. Mr. Kogon and his family moved, and the Holyoke Shirt Company closed down.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; The Union Appeal, Union, Mississippi; The Sun Herald, Guilford, Mississippi; publication dates and pages are shown.
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