80 million Christmas cards produced, a staggering number! The heyday of manufacturing paper and paper products, from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, significantly contributed to the vitality of Holyoke and its many workers. One of the companies that experienced a meteoric rise was Standard Greetings Inc., the topic of this story.
It was post-World War II, and Holyoke was experiencing a surge of new businesses. Holyoke Water Power Co. had a surplus of mill property space to lease due to the failure of many paper company divisions. One of these complexes, which turned into a haven for start-ups, was the Beebe-Holbrook complex on the south side of Dwight Street between the First and Second Level canals.
In late 1946, Robert E. Barrett, president of the Holyoke Water Power Co., announced that Standard Greetings Inc. would relocate to 380 Dwight Street on March 1, 1947. The company had been operating in Brooklyn, NewYork. The company, a major manufacturer of greeting cards and accessories, would occupy 18,000 square feet of factory space,
The three key operators of the business were Julian S. Friede Sr., the previous owner of the Colonial Greeting Card Company of Holyoke; Harold Robbins, former manager of Metropolitan Lithograph of Everett; and Samuel Shaine, formerly of Springfield Photo Mount in Holyoke.
In 1949, the company negotiated to acquire the space occupied by Soundrite Corporation at 384 Dwight Street. By 1949, Standard Greetings employed 400 workers. A short second shift was contemplated to fulfill demand for its cards.
The greeting cards were designed with vibrant colors and plenty of eye appeal. Messages were incorporated into the cards, a change from the blank greeting cards of the past. The company had an art department that would sketch card designs. The company introduced a translucent plastic-covered card to enhance its appeal.
The development of acetate enabled Monsanto Chemical Company to produce the pliable plastic, which was shipped in rolls. The product was thicker than cellophane. Standard Greetings' researchers discovered the plastic could be decorated with glitter, icicles, and snowflake designs. Standard Greeting had a popular Jack Frost line of holiday cards as a result. Tint could be added to the plastic for additional effect.
Additionally, the company used a coated paper, named Kromekote, in its Regal Lustre lines. This was an underlay or overlay process to add to the card's appeal. An assortment of everyday greeting cards was part of the company's Sugar 'n Spice line.
In 1949, the company had more than one million boxes of Christmas cards available for distribution. The cards were attractively boxed and sold to distributors, who in turn sold them to salespeople and organizations that sold them door-to-door nationwide.
Employment in the mill rose to nearly 500 people in late 1949 as the spring line of cards was being produced. By then, most cards the company created had a translucent covering or pane applied, or were made with Kromekote paper.
The plant covered 55,000 square feet of floor space and produced 50,000 boxes of cards daily. Each box contained 14 cards. The variety of boxed card sets increased from 2 to 17. The business experienced substantial growth in its first two years.
To accommodate the increasing demand for its product lines, Standard Greetings purchased the Merrick division Number 2 mill of the American Thread Company in February 1950. This factory was on the north side of Appleton Street (#191) between the First and Second Level Canals. This afforded the company an additional 125,000 square feet of plant, and it expected to hire an extra 250 to 500 workers in the near future. American Thread would be totally removed from the building by May 15, 1950, moving its operation to Willimantic, CT.
In that same month, the company ordered a 75-ton, 5-color gravure machine. A special foundation was installed to support the machine's weight. The company also produced its own envelopes. In its production of paper products, the company used about a carload of paper daily.
For the 1950 Christmas holiday season, the company produced 80 million greeting cards, indicating that, if placed side by side, the cards would circle the world four times.
Employment had reached 650 by the end of 1950.
A nationwide rail strike in February 1951 resulted in the reduction of employment to 150 workers. In March, the strike was over, and production resumed with about 350 employees.
On August 15, 1953, Julian Friede, the company's president, died. In December of that year, the company announced that it would close on February 15, 1954, due to reduced demand for its products, which did not justify continuing operations. On July 21, 1955, the company's assets were sold at public auction.
Although short-lived, this was a fantastic story of a business that many, including myself, were not aware of. I'll leave you with Standard Greetings' adage, "Trying to say for you what you cannot say for yourself."
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
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