Immediately after World War II ended the United States started a period of growth that would prove to be unrivaled in our countries history. After several years of rationing rubber, metal and other items for the war effort, America was flush with steel and had the manufacturing capacity to match it. An area I didn't think about was in home improvements. People were ready to settle down and spend time at home with family and friends. In most of America the kitchen was the central meeting area of the home and manufacturers were ready to supply the fixtures needed to upgrade the old 1930's kitchens.
When I got these today I thought they were doll house furniture but they aren't. They are samples of steel cabinets and fixtures available from The Youngstown Steel Cabinet Mfg. Corp. The salesman with his satchel full to the brim, would sit down with husbands and wives and help them plan their new "fitted" kitchen (think Lego). Some of these samples got quite elaborate and many times had 30-40 different pieces.
The pieces were laid out and moved around a grid representing the floor of the customers kitchen. Everything was ala-carte. What a great way to sell, a slam dunk using these samples. They are pretty small, the large double sink is only 6" long. By the early 1950's there were over 40 manufacturers selling metal kitchen cabinets and fixtures. That's a lot of peddlers on the streets but still I had never seen these before. Here are some other interesting examples.
When I got these today I thought they were doll house furniture but they aren't. They are samples of steel cabinets and fixtures available from The Youngstown Steel Cabinet Mfg. Corp. The salesman with his satchel full to the brim, would sit down with husbands and wives and help them plan their new "fitted" kitchen (think Lego). Some of these samples got quite elaborate and many times had 30-40 different pieces.
These are available for purchase here
The pieces were laid out and moved around a grid representing the floor of the customers kitchen. Everything was ala-carte. What a great way to sell, a slam dunk using these samples. They are pretty small, the large double sink is only 6" long. By the early 1950's there were over 40 manufacturers selling metal kitchen cabinets and fixtures. That's a lot of peddlers on the streets but still I had never seen these before. Here are some other interesting examples.
Thanks to Retro Renovation for the photos
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