Empire Brush Company of Greenville, NC, Records

1924-2000
Manuscript Collection #1360
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Creator(s)
Empire Brushes, Inc.
Physical description
2.14 Cubic Feet, 3 document cases and 1 oversize folder, consisting of catalogs, price lists, marketing programs, advertising stickers, and product wrappings,
Preferred Citation
Empire Brush Company of Greenville, NC, Records (#1360), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
Repository
ECU Manuscript Collection
Access
No restrictions.

This collection (1924-2000) contains material related to the marketing of products produced by the Empire Brush Company of Greenville, North Carolina. Included are catalogues, price lists, marketing programs, advertising stickers and product wrappings, and original materials used in planographic printing of product wrappings. Although Empire Brush moved its manufacturing facility to Greenville Industrial Park in 1964, the collection also contains items relating to its pre-1964 years and some to Rubbermaid which bought Empire Brush out in 1994.

Biographical/historical information

Empire Brushes, Inc., had its company headquarters in Port Chester, New York, at least by 1935. In 1964, it moved its manufacturing plant to Greenville Industrial Park (Greenville, North Carolina) and in 1980 it moved its corporate headquarters to Greenville. Jack Gantz was Empire Brushes' chairman of the board and later its' president in 1945. His son, Joseph Gantz, became president of the company in 1985. Empire Brushes, Inc. dissolved on May 29, 1992 and was bought out by Rubbermaid in 1994.

Sources:

Pitt County Development Commission, Economic History of Pitt County, October 2012 issue, pages 10, 13.

Joseph Gantz, Seeds of Peace, at https://www.seedsofpeace.org/team/joseph-gantz

Jack Gantz obituary at https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1990-02-03-9001220645-story.html

Jack Gantz, Businessman by The New York Times at South Florida Sun-Sentinel, February 3, 1990 at https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1990-02-03-9001220645-story.html

Scope and arrangement

The records (1924-2000) contain marketing material produced by Empire Brushes Company of Greenville, N.C. for the promotion of its' products. The marketing materials include catalogs, price lists, marketing programs, display charts, advertisement pages, stickers, samples and original materials used in planographic printing of product wrappings. There is also a small number of catalogs that are related to the company's pre-1964 years. Promotional items from the Rubbermaid company are also included as well. Rubbermaid brought the Empire Brushes Company out in 1994.

Administrative information
Custodial History

April 2, 2020, 2.14 cubic feet; This collection (1924-2000) contains material related to the marketing of products produced by the Empire Brush Company of Greenville, North Carolina. Included are catalogues, price lists, marketing programs, advertising stickers and product wrappings, and original materials used in planographic printing of product wrappings. Although Empire Brush moved its manufacturing facility to Greenville Industrial Park in 1964, the collection also contains items relating to its pre-1964 years and some to Rubbermaid which bought Empire Brush out in 1994. Gift of Bridgette Williamson.

Source of acquisition

Gift of Bridgette Williamson

Copyright notice

Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright laws.

Metadata Rights Declaration
Key terms
Corporate Names
Empire Brushes, Inc.
Rubbermaid Incorporated
Topical
Brooms and brushes--North Carolina--Greenville
Container list
Box 1 Folder a Brochures and Sales Information, 1947, undated
Box 1 Folder b Catalogs, 1939-1948
Box 1 Folder c Catalogs, 1950-1954
Box 1 Folder d Catalogs, 1962-1966
Box 1 Folder e Catalogs, 1970-1976
Box 1 Folder f Catalogs, undated
Box 1 Folder g Correspondence, 1943-1944, 1992
Box 2 Folder a Display Stand Charts and Product Lists, 1989, undated
Box 2 Folder b Display Stands and Product Lists, 1976, 1982, 1989, undated
Box 2 Folder c Marketing - Empire Brush Advertisements, undated
Box 2 Folder d Marketing of Empire Mops, Sponges and Brooms, undated
Box 2 Folder e Marketing - Logos, Samples, and Stickers, 1991, undated
Box 2 Folder f Marketing Programs, undated
Box 2 Folder g Price Lists, 1936-1969, undated
Box 3 Folder a Price Lists, 1970-1979
Box 3 Folder b Price Lists, 1981-1993
Box 3 Folder c Rubbermaid Catalogs, 1995-1996, 1999-2000
Box 3 Folder d Rubbermaid Marketing Samples and Stickers, undated
Box 3 Folder e Ship Shape Products, undated
Folder 1 Photograph (black and white) of men sitting or standing near table; Large photo of a display set of Rubbermaid projects; Article on the 7th Annual Convention of the American Brush Manufacturers Association entitled, "Brooms, Brushes and Mops" (April 1924); Article entitled, "Brushes Made In Port Chester Are Sold The World Over", The Daily Item, Port Chester, N.Y. (Feb. 17, 1938)., 1924, 1938, undated