Esquire Shoe Polish
Encyclopedia
Esquire Shoe Polish of Williamsburg by the company Knomark was the best selling shoe polish
brand in America from the 1940s to 1960's. It was owned by Revlon
.
The brand was created in 1938 by Sam Abrams, a chemist from Brooklyn, NY. During the Depression, he took over an ailing boot polish maker, the Knomark Manufacturing Company of Williamsburg, Brooklyn
. In 1938, Sam and his brother, Al, bought the Esquire brand and built its reputation with an enormous advertising campaign. By 1944, the company had become the best selling shoe polish
manufacturer in the US. An advertising campaign featured the singer and television star Kate Smith
. In the late 1950s, they sold Knomark, the Esquire Brand and the Esquire Building on 330 Wythe Avenue in Brooklyn. The building was acquired in 1984 and converted to a condo by Stephanie Eisenberg
in 2000. In 1957, Revlon
acquired Knomark and the Esquire brand which made annual sales of 15 million dollars for 5 million dollars. Revlon sold the Esquire shoe polish brand and other esquire product brands 1969. The Knomark company became a Thayer
Laboratories subsidiary, then Thayer-Knomark, Inc. In 1984, the advertising agency Creamer was commissioned by Knomark Inc. to do a one million dollar advertising campaign for Esquire. The Sara Lee shoe polish company purchased the esquire brand and the Knomark company in 1987. In 1994, Sara Lee was forced to sell the company and brand in order to avoid the monopoly on the market. Today Knomark is based in Jamaica, Queens.
Shoe polish
Shoe polish , usually a waxy paste or a cream, is a consumer product used to polish, shine, waterproof, and restore the appearance of leather shoes or boots, thereby extending the footwear's life...
brand in America from the 1940s to 1960's. It was owned by Revlon
Revlon
Revlon is an American cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care company founded in 1932.-History:Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Revson and his brother Joseph, along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the Revlon name...
.
The brand was created in 1938 by Sam Abrams, a chemist from Brooklyn, NY. During the Depression, he took over an ailing boot polish maker, the Knomark Manufacturing Company of Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
. In 1938, Sam and his brother, Al, bought the Esquire brand and built its reputation with an enormous advertising campaign. By 1944, the company had become the best selling shoe polish
Shoe polish
Shoe polish , usually a waxy paste or a cream, is a consumer product used to polish, shine, waterproof, and restore the appearance of leather shoes or boots, thereby extending the footwear's life...
manufacturer in the US. An advertising campaign featured the singer and television star Kate Smith
Kate Smith
Kathryn Elizabeth "Kate" Smith was an American Popular singer, best known for her rendition of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America". Smith had a radio, television, and recording career spanning five decades, which reached its pinnacle in the 1940s.Smith was born in Greenville, Virginia...
. In the late 1950s, they sold Knomark, the Esquire Brand and the Esquire Building on 330 Wythe Avenue in Brooklyn. The building was acquired in 1984 and converted to a condo by Stephanie Eisenberg
Stephanie Eisenberg
Stephanie Eisenberg is a metal working factory owner and real estate developer in Williamsburg, Brooklyn neighborhood of New York.- Biography :...
in 2000. In 1957, Revlon
Revlon
Revlon is an American cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care company founded in 1932.-History:Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Revson and his brother Joseph, along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the Revlon name...
acquired Knomark and the Esquire brand which made annual sales of 15 million dollars for 5 million dollars. Revlon sold the Esquire shoe polish brand and other esquire product brands 1969. The Knomark company became a Thayer
Thayer
-Surname:* Abbott Handerson Thayer , American artist* Adin Thayer , New York politician* Alexander Wheelock Thayer , author of The life of Ludwig van Beethoven, a standard biography, and other music biographies...
Laboratories subsidiary, then Thayer-Knomark, Inc. In 1984, the advertising agency Creamer was commissioned by Knomark Inc. to do a one million dollar advertising campaign for Esquire. The Sara Lee shoe polish company purchased the esquire brand and the Knomark company in 1987. In 1994, Sara Lee was forced to sell the company and brand in order to avoid the monopoly on the market. Today Knomark is based in Jamaica, Queens.
External links
- Albert Abrams
- Revlon
- Creamer http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9504E3DA1738F93AA15752C1A962948260&sec=&spon=
- Esquire Building http://www.andrewtobias.com/fireandice17.html
- 1970's product http://www.tias.com/6859/PictPage/1921768680.html
- Esquire Fabric cleaner http://www.cyberattic.com/stores/Prissie/items/671615/item671615cyberattic.html
- Kate Smith, 1951 http://advertising.tjs-labs.com/show-picture?id=1162346476