Guide to the Fairman Wallpaper and Painting Company Records, 1922-1999
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Fairman Wallpaper and Painting Company Records,
- Creator
- Fairman Wallpaper and Painting Company.
- Collection Number
- MSS 549
- Extent
- 0.75 linear feet (2 boxes)
- Date
- 1922-1999
- Abstract
- Sarah and Harry Fairman, both immigrants from Russia, opened Fairman Wallpaper and Painting Company in 1916. The company was passed down first to their sons, George and Ben Fairman, in 1932, and later to George Fairman's daughter and son-in-law Frances and Michael Lando in 1976. Frances and Michael Lando changed the company name to Fairman Wall and Window Coverings to reflect the addition of custom window coverings to the company's services and in 1991 purchased the Peerless Wallpaper stores in the Pittsburgh area. The collection consists primarily of records relating to the store buildings, everyday business, distributors' materials, marketing, and advertising.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- Funding for this project was made available by the PNC Charitable Trusts-J. Samuel and Rose Y. Cox Foundation and the Giant Eagle Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History
In 1904, at the age of 27, Harry Fairman (HF) and his wife, Sarah Fairman (SF), immigrated to the United States from Russia. He took a job at Golomb Paint and Glass Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a painter and developed his skills in paperhanging and decorating. In 1916, HF and SF opened the Fairman Wallpaper and Painting Company at 108 Fullerton Street in Pittsburgh. HF was the artist and decorator, and SF ran the store and took care of the business aspects of the company despite her inability to read or write English.
In 1923, Fairman Wallpaper and Painting Company moved to a more spacious building at 114-118 Fullerton Street. In 1931, HF suffered a back injury at the store and was unable to continue his work hanging paper. His two sons, Ben (BF) and George (GF), began working full time for their parents. The company functioned as both a retailer for its customers and a wholesale distributor to other businesses. The following year, SF passed away and BF and GF took over all operations of Fairman Wallpaper and Paint Company. In 1939, the two brothers opened a second store on Liberty Avenue, which operated for two years. Shortly after the closing of the Liberty Avenue store, BF left the family business.
After the Urban Redevelopment Authority purchased the Fullerton Street property in 1956, the Fairman Wallpaper and Paint Company moved to 1411 Fifth Avenue. In 1963, GF's wife, Ruth (RF), came into the business serving customers and keeping the books. GF and RF decided to discontinue the wholesale distribution aspect of the company and focus solely on retail.
In 1976, GF and RF's daughter Frances Lando (FL) and her husband Michael (ML) took over the family business. FL and ML changed the company name to Fairman Wall and Window Coverings to reflect the addition of custom window coverings to the company's services and in 1993 purchased the Peerless Wallpaper chain stores in the Pittsburgh area. They later consolidated Fairman Wall and Window Coverings into their Monroeville Peerless Wallpaper store.
Scope and Content Notes
The collection contains building records including an Offer and Agreement for Sale of Land record of the sale of the 114-18 Fullerton Street property (1956), materials relating to the installation of an intercom system (1957-1959), and blueprints of the 1411 Fifth Avenue location (1956). Records related to the everyday business of the company include Fairman sales pads, Fairman price lists (1937-1941), time book (1922-1923), financial ledger (1940-1945), and a Merchandise Returns and Comparative Sales ledger. The collection also contains materials printed by distributors for disseminating information to retailers or for display in retail locations. The collection includes marketing and advertising records for the Fairman Wallpaper and Painting Company, Fairman Wallpaper and Window Coverings, and Peerless Wallpaper. These include drafts of advertisements, finished advertisements, copies of advertisements, deadlines for submission of advertisements for inclusion in publications, cooperative advertising catalog, and company mailings. Also included in these records are the advertisements for outside businesses and distributors.
Arrangement
The records of the Fairman Wallpaper and Painting Company are housed in two archival boxes with folders arranged alphabetically.
Conditions Governing Access
No Restrictions.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Allen Berkman on December 2, 1991.
Gift of Frances Lando, granddaughter of Harry and Sarah Fairman, on May 8, 2008.
Preferred Citation
Fairman Wallpaper and Painting Company Records, 1922-1999, MSS 549, Rauh Jewish Archives, Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Tara Bascom on March 4, 2010.
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 Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.
Separated Materials
A wallpaper buck was separated to the Museum Division
Oversized documents have been separated into two oversized folders and given the catalog designation MSO#549. These documents include cooperative advertisements from distributors, blueprints, and covers of wallpaper sample books.
Subjects
- Fairman Wallpaper and Painting Company.
- Fairman Wall and Window Coverings.
- Peerless Wallpaper.
- Fairman, Harry.
- Fairman, Sarah.
- Fairman, Ben.
- Fairman, George.
- Fairman, Ruth.
- Lando, Frances.
- Lando, Michael.
- Popovic, Kevin.
- Surmacz, Gary.
- Pittsburgh (Pa.)
- Retail trade.
- Wholesale trade.
- Jews--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh.
- Family-owned business enterprises--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh.
- Small business marketing -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
- Wallpaper.