Victory Dress Company

 The City of Holyoke's manufacturers offered employment in many different fields. Given the number of textile-based mills, sewers were in great demand. The Victory Dress Company was no exception, and today its history is recounted.

Mayer Passo, the founder of the Victory Dress Company, was born in Monastir, Turkey, in 1894. He arrived in the United States in 1914. He worked in the garment industry for Gayline Sportswear Company at 56 Canal Street, Holyoke, Massachusetts, for a period of time. In 1946, he and his son, Abraham, organized the Victory Dress Company. The company would sew dresses and skirts on a subcontract basis for the Puritan Dress Company.

The company was located in the former Wauregan Paper Mill at 420 Dwight Street. Holyoke Water Power Company, which owned the building, had subdivided space in the defunct paper mill into several units for start-ups and small businesses. The Victory Dress Company leased 3,500 square feet on the second floor for its use.

Over its life, there was one constant. The need for novice-to-expert sewers on various machines was routinely highlighted in its advertisements.

By mid-1950, the company was operating two factories. In addition to its original location at 420 Dwight Street, a second shop was opened at 9 Suffolk Street on the fourth floor. This was the Rackliffe Building, which also housed the Suffolk Theater.

At its peak, the company had 100 employees on its payroll.

On May 29, 1952, the company marked the grand opening of the Victory Dress Company retail sales department at 420 Dwight Street. Skirts and dresses were sold at discounted prices. The store held a clearance sale of its 500 dresses along with other women's and children's wear in November of the same year.

In mid-1955, Victory Dress consolidated its operations at 9 Suffolk Street. In 1961, the partnership of Mayer and Abraham Passo was dissolved when the company formed a corporation, the Victory Dress Co. Inc. Mr. Mayer Passo retired from the business in 1962 at age 68.

In 1964, the company was shown as operating at 84 Williams Street in Springfield and in Holyoke.

The company continued until 1965, when, in mid-June, the help-wanted ads ceased, and it was subsequently referred to as the former Victory Dress Company.

Citations:

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

Price & Lee Holyoke (Massachusetts) City Directories.