History Of Mohawk Carpets
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It would be quite surprising if you had never heard of Mohawk Industries as they have been a leader in the flooring industry for over 125 years now producing carpets. There head office is located in Georgia where they design and manufacture woven and tufted broadloom carpets, as well as area rugs, accent rugs, and even mats.
They have a price range to meet every budget and market their products under the following well recognized lines: Aladdin, American Olean, American Weavers, Bigelow, Galaxy, Helios, Horizon, Karastan, Lees Carpet, Wundaweve, Custom Weave, and of course Mohawk.
Mohawk has been a leader in the industry from its inception and thanks to a dedicated hard working team it continues to be a leader in the industry today making carpets that are recognized world wide.
Their story began way back in 1878 when four Shuttleworth brothers brought 14 second hand looms from England to New York. By 1908 the were introducing a new carpet line called Karnak. It was instantly successful in fact it was more than successful it became a phenomena. For 5 years the orders were so many that the weavers never even changed the color or the pattern.
In the 1920s the Shuttleworth Brothers Company merged with the McCleary Walling and Crouse Company. After the merger they became Mohawk Carpet Mills Inc named after the Mohawk River Valley in New York where their head office was located.
Of course like all mergers this merger was a strategic merger that left Mohawk as the only mill in the USA that produced all domestic weaves of carpet.
Nearing the end of the dirty thirties Mohawk decided this was an excellent time to introduce a new carpet and thus Shuttlepoint was born. It was the first high and low loop textured design to be marketed. It was so successful that by 1950 it has bypassed the demand of Karnak becoming their best seller ever.
During the 1950 Mohawk once again was on the move expanding it’s manufacturing facilities in Mississippi and South Carolina. This was also the period that Walt Disney Studies designed the Tommy Mohawk character which Mohawk still uses to this day.
By 1955 Mohawk and once again merged with another company. This time Alexander Smith. This merger made Mohawk the largest carpet supplier world wide.
During the next 15 years Mohawk continued to innovative designing new products. Their biggest success ever was the Canyon Paradise line introduced in 1973 which became their most successful carpet line ever. In 1974 they established the Mohawk Color Center Dealer program which was a blueprint to success for dealers. It is still in use today.
Mohawk continued to merge with other companies right through the 1990s buying up all the names you recognize in carpets and making them part of their line. Companies such a American Rug Craftsman, Karastan, Bigelow, Aladdin Mills, Galaxy Carpets, WundaWeeve, and Durkan to name just a handful. Each of these companies strengthened Mohawks market share. Their aggressive acquisitions certainly paid off creating a diverse and dynamic company as well as the world’s largest floor covering supply. No longer just the world’s largest carpet supplier.
Today still Mohawk executives still maintain that the reason for their success is their 34,000 dedicated, hard working employees. These men and women are the core of this successful company using cutting edge technology and state of the art equipment. Employees also have good thinks to say about Mohawk noting their positive work environment, excellent wage structure, and opportunities for advancement.
Today it doesn’t really matter where you shop or what make of carpet you buy, there are few quality carpets left on the market that are not part of the Mohawk lines. And that’s not all Mohawk also has a full line of furniture and home decor. So whether you are shopping at Home Depot or Wal-mart you are certain to find the Mohawk line.
From its origins back in 1878 to its modern day operation the philosophy has always been to make the home beautiful and it’s quite obvious how successful they’ve been. So next time you are in the market for carpet, furniture, or home decor buy Mohawk a company you can trust!
Airsoft Gun History
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The history of “airsoft” originated in Japan during the mid-1970s, mainly because it was illegal to own firearms by private individuals. The first airsoft guns available were spring-powered replicas of firearms that fired 6mm, plastic pellets or BBs. The gun then spread to China, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines and became very popular chiefly because of firearm restrictions in these countries.
The first airsoft guns were those air driven pellet guns, cap-type guns and spring driven pellet guns. The early Japanese air driven pellet guns were based on semi-automatic pistols. They were spring powered. The plastic pellet was propelled by air when the spring piston was released. In the cap-type guns, powerful an explosive cap was used to make the sound of gunfire and to eject the spent cartridge. In spring driven pellet guns, a spring was used to propel the pellet held between two small locks and released when the gun was fired.
Mattel, the famous American toy company had already marketed a product called “Shootin Shells” way back in the 1950s. These guns were identical to the spring driven pellet guns and had Stik-M-Caps that explode to emulate the sound of gunfire. In the 1980s, Daisy BB Gun Company manufactured spring gun models called Replisoft and Soft Air shot at each other by opposing players.
The popularity of airsoft guns in the United States and Europe began in the mid-1990s. There is continued growing interest in the west. In 2003, Daisy started manufacturing and marketing airsoft guns once again in the United States. “Powerstrike” is the brand name used by the company. Other manufacturers are following in Daisy’s footsteps and a host of different models have entered the United States airsoft gun market.
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Handel Lamp History
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Philip Julius Handel first established the Handel Company in Meriden, Connecticut in 1876. They specialized in high quality reverse painted lamp shades and were generally considered a less expensive alternative to the Tiffany lamp popularized by Louis Comfort Tiffany. They also made leaded glass shades similar to Tiffany as well as vases, humidor boxes and other decorative objects. The most popular lamps of the Art Nouveau 1890-1920 and the Art Deco period 1920-1939 were Tiffany, Handel, Pairpoint and Duffner & Kimberly.
Philip Handel (age 19) and Adolph Eydam (age 21) formed a partnership in 1885 and created the “Eydam and Handel Company” in Meriden, Connecticut specializing in glass decorating and lamp manufacturing. They used lamp bases from other suppliers not their own lamp bases. In 1892 the partnership ended and the company later moved to larger facilities in New York city in 1893 and was known as “Philip J. Handel” and later as “Handel and Company”. In 1902 they opened their own foundry and began producing their own lamp bases. The Handel Company was incorporated on June 11, 1903 and Philip J. Handel, Albert Parlow, and Antone Teich were the principals. In 1906, Philip J. Handel married Fannie Hirschfield Handel his second wife. She became the company’s president upon Philip Handel’s death in 1914. In 1918 she remarried and in 1919 William F. Handel, Philip’s cousin took control of the company.
Following World War I was a period of tremendous growth. The economy was roaring and the company had assembled a very impressive and talented group of artists and craftsmen. However, the Great Depression drastically changed the company’s fortunes and by 1929 the company was struggling. The company ceased production completely in 1936. The Handel Lamp Company was the very finest maker of reverse-painted lamps. Handel also made some leaded glass lamps. The company is a prime example of fine American quality craftsmanship.
Handel bases were most commonly made of a zinc alloy, spelter with a bronze patina or finish. Some were made of genuine bronze. The marking was commonly the company name on the bottom of the base. The markings consisted of raised letters and/or a label. Sometimes the marking would be underneath the base or sometimes on top of the the base. Lamp shades were marked on metal components and/or on the glass itself. Some of the glass pieces are signed by the artists.
Many of the medium to larger Handel lamp bases were wired with multiple sockets which were operated by pull chains that had small and various shaped pull balls on the ends of the chain.
It has long been a common practice to match slag glass lamp shades, Tiffany type shades and others to various lamp bases that were not the original. Another common practice has been to place an unsigned shade on a signed Handel lamp base and pass the entire lamp off as a “Handel”. Many if not most lamps and shades are referred to as Handel lamps simply because the style is similar to that of an original Handel lamp. Experts today suggest that about 90% of all lamps called Handel were not actually made by Handel. There are many lamps that are signed but that are not authentic. Identification of Handel leaded lamps is a subjective process that few people are qualified to do.
Given the company’s history it may be difficult to prove the negative: i.e. that a particular lamp is NOT a Handel. But as usual, money speaks and you will find that a Handel lamp and shade with correct markings, attributes and documentation commands a very premium price as compared to any lamp that is “attributed to Handel”.
For instance, some of Handel’s small and simple desk and simple piano lamps have recently sold for around $500. Generally the more complex ones sell for over $2,000. There are some rare ones that have sold for over $80,000.
Some Handel glass artists are highly regarded and their works bring a premium price. Their signatures can be seen on some Handel lamp shades. Among these Handel artists are Bailey, Bedigie, Broggi, Gubisch, Matzow, Palme, and Parlow and Runge.
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