Guide to the Roth Carpet and Floors Records 1950s-2000s

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Roth Carpet and Floors Records
Creator
Roth, Richard
Collection Number
MSS 0814
Extent
5.75 linear feet (4 boxes, 3 Scrapbooks)
Date
1950s-2000s
Abstract
Roth Carpet and Floors was a family-owned business which began in the 1930s as a rug-cleaning operation. The business expanded into rug and carpet sales in the 1950s, and at its peak, Bernard Roth owned four stores in the Pittsburgh area. He managed the company until his son, Richard Roth, assumed control in 1985. Roth Carpet and Floors closed in 2009. The Roth Carpet and Floors Records contain newspaper advertisements, interior and exterior photographs of Roth stores, audio recordings of Roth radio advertisements, and an oral history given by Bernard Roth.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
The guide to this collection was written by Alex J. Toner.
Sponsor
This collection has been made accessible as part of an NHPRC-funded Basic Processing grant.
Publisher
Heinz History Center
Address
1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

History

In the early 1930s, the Roth family owned and operated a wholesale dry-cleaning plant, called Shadyside Dry Cleaners, in Pittsburgh's Shadyside neighborhood. In addition, the family operated several smaller dry-cleaning stores. When the Depression forced the closure of Shadyside Dry Cleaners in 1935, Bernard Roth's father continued to operate the garment-cleaning locations as well as conducting a small amount of on-site rug cleaning. Pittsburgh's St. Patrick's Day flood of 1936 generated an increase in rug cleaning as a result of the flood damage. During this time, rugs were washed and dried out of the basement of a theater in Swissvale, Pa., that Bernard Roth's uncle Morris owned.

Continued demand for rug cleaning lead the Roths to establish Roth Cleaners, on Kelly Street in Pittsburgh's Homewood neighborhood in 1941. After Bernard Roth was discharged from the U.S. Army in 1946, he began to assume more managerial responsibility at the business and initiated plans to transition the business into rug and carpet sales. He changed the name of the business from Roth Cleaners to Roth Rug and Carpet Company in 1951, created a sales department, started an advertising campaign to propel initial sales, and began selling rugs in addition to cleaning them. Bernard Roth's business philosophy was based in broad advertising campaigns to promote and generate business. The company sent out postcards, took out classified and full page ads in local newspapers, and began airing radio and television spots.

The company expanded operations through plant renovations, remodeling, and equipment additions in 1952. At that time, Roth Rugs and Carpet Company's automated rug-cleaning operation was one of the most modern facilities in Western Pennsylvania. However, throughout the early 1960s, the rug cleaning business declined as on-location cleaning became more prevalent. Nonetheless, rug and carpet sales were expanding. Roth's first branch store opened on McKnight Road in the North Hills in 1961, followed soon after by a Mt. Lebanon location, and in 1968, a fourth store in the Allegheny Center Mall. The Allegheny Center and Homewood locations were closed in the early 1970s, as Roth began a partnership with Sam Longwell who helped transform the store model from the sample showroom-type into a warehouse showroom with large, visible inventories.

Bernard Roth's son, Richard, joined the company in 1977. Following Bernard Roth's retirement in 1985, the company was managed by Richard Roth and the Longwells. In 2009, Roth Carpet and Floors began liquidating its inventory in preparation of its announced closure that year. At the time of its closure, the company's headquarters was based in Monroeville, and it had stores remaining in Mt. Lebanon and the North Hills.

Scope and Content Notes

The Roth Carpet and Floors Records contain newspaper advertisements, interior and exterior photographs of Roth stores, audio recordings of Roth radio advertisements, and an oral history given by Bernard Roth. The newspaper advertisements are primarily full page advertisements that highlight Roth sales and promotions. They were published between the 1950s and the 2000s in local papers such as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , Pittsburgh Press , North Hills Record , Allegheny Bulletin , and Jewish Chronicle . There are photographs of the exterior and interior of Roth stores in Monroeville, Mt. Lebanon, and in both the North and South Hills. These depict the store buildings, outdoor carpet and rug sales, showroom floors and inventories, and some carpet cleaning images. Two CDs and over 20 cassette tapes contain Roth radio advertisements and promotions. Bernard Roth recorded his history of the business in 1993, which documents the history of the business, as well as his involvement in its development. A typed transcript is included in the collection. There is also an historical timeline of the company included, which was compiled by Richard Roth.

Arrangement

In addition to the following four boxes, there are three oversized scrapbooks containing newspaper advertisements from 1994 through 2003.

  1. Box 1: Photographs and Oral History
  2. Box 2: Oversized Photographs
  3. Box 3: Audio Materials
  4. Box 4: Newspaper Advertisements

Conditions Governing Access

None.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift from Roth Richard in 2010..

Archives accession # 2010.0142

Preferred Citation

Roth Carpet and Floors Records, 1950s-2000s, MSS 0814 , Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center

Processing Information

Preliminary processing by Alex J. Toner on 07/02/12.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Roth Carpet and Floors.

    Personal Names

    • Roth, Bernie.

    Geographic Names

    • Pittsburgh (Pa.)
    • Mt. Lebanon (Pa.)
    • Monroeville (Pa.)
    • North Hills (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

    Other Subjects

    • Jews--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh.
    • Advertising.
    • Interior Decoration.
    • Floods—Pennsylvania—Pittsburgh—1936.
    • Stores, Retail -- Pennsylvania -- Allegheny County

Container List