Good Morning!

We hope you had a wonderful 4^th of July! In a store as old as ours there are bound to be pieces of history that stand out above others. Though we cherish all of the memorabilia we have been fortunate to save (and acquire from the community!) there are a few iconic items that we are very proud of!

We’ve looked into the history of our National Cash Register,  explored the unique architecture of the building here on the corner of 4^th Avenue and Main Street and so much more! We’ve yet to talk about one of the key pieces of history that lives in the Fitterer’s office, however. The antique safe in our office is just as old, if not older than our prized cash register!

Above: The antique safe in the back office of Fitterer's! 

The safe had less of a known story around the store. We know that it has been in the store from the time the building was constructed, but we also know that it wasn’t always in the location it is now. If you remember back to one of our earlier blogs, or know the history of the Fitterer building, you’ll remember that the office was the place that the delivery horses took their breaks in the early 1900’s.

Though we don’t know where the safe was located back when we first opened our doors, we were able to take a look at the details and gather a little bit of information about the safe.

Sometimes when we find something or decide to look further at a vintage piece and the web provides us with an overflow of information. This wasn’t so much the case with our safe. As you’ll see in the photos below, the safe is adorned with branding on the first inside door that reads “ National Safe and Lock Co, Cleveland”.

Above: Detail from the National Safe & Lock Co. metal branding on the inside of our safe.

There wasn’t a huge amount of information on this company on the internet. Most of what we found were photos of old safes, vintage ads starting in 1887, and various tidbits from owners of similar safes. In addition to the metal branding, there is a painted brand on the inside of the first door as well. That branding reads Webb Safe & Lock Co. Hoping to find out a little more on this company , we went back to Google for answers. Unfortunately we came up equally short on history for the Portland company. The lovely painted details of the inside and outside of the safe were actually re-done by a former employee of Fitterer’s many years ago! If you run your hands over the paint, its easy to feel the original etchings of the beautiful script. 

Above: The inside of our antique safe - it was re-painted by a former employee of the store several years ago! 

Though we weren’t able to find extensive info on the safe company, we know that it’s antique and we know that its very special to the store. Who knows – with a little more time and a fine toothed comb, there could be a wealth of information hiding on the web about the National Safe and Lock Co and the Webb Safe & Lock Co! We’ll continue to enjoy our piece of history – no matter where it was made!

Good Afternoon!

As promised, we are back to our weekly throwback blog; this Thursday we chose to get creative with some vintage Fitterer’s Stamps from the cabinet!

We’ve briefly featured a few of these before, but today decided to go a little further, trying them out and examining how they were made.

Most stamps that we know today are either self inking (very popular in businesses for streamlined clear prints and ease of use) or classic rubber hand stamps that require an ink pad and a steady hand. We have five of these mechanical hand stamps with various origins, four of which are embossed with Fitterer’s branding. The fifth stamp is the smallest, and prints the name “George Fitterer” when inked.

Rubber stamps gained popularity after the 1860’s, but some of ours are actually made from metal. Both of the “Fitterer Bros” stamps that we have are metal vs. the more typical rubber material. We don’t have specific dates for these stamps , but they likely date back to the 40’s and 50’s based on the logos.

The metal stamps were definitely harder to keep ink on, and came out with less of a clear impression when used. You can still see some of the vintage logos in the impressions that we got – they’re just slightly spotty.

The rubber stamps we have , including the ‘Fitterer Brothers’ stamp, the George Fitterer Stamp and the ‘Paid’ stamp were slightly easier to get a clear print from. George Fitterer’s personal stamp was definitely the clearest print of all five, though thanks to age and regular use, it’s difficult to get any “perfect” impressions.

Regardless of the print quality, these stamps were fun to try out with our ink pad here in the store!

Good morning! This week, in the spirit of graduations, we wanted to share a fun find that features graduates of generations past!

A roll of class photos , dated 1936. 

Signatures across the back of the early yearbook-like page- 1936

A roll of heavy photo paper, adorned with signatures scrolled in various colored ink came out of our cabinet today – the photos on the other side appear to be senior portraits from 82 years ago. A vintage variation of the modern yearbook, this photo scroll displays the class of 1936 at the “Allen C. Mason Intermediate School”.

A closer look at the Allen C. Mason Intermediate school in Tacoma, WA - 1936. The school has since been rebuilt and renamed Mason Middle School 

Unfamiliar with the name of the school, we started taking a look at the black and white head shots and reading the handwritten names below the faces. With Brad’s help, we discovered that this class was that of the late Bettie ( Klopfenstein  ) Fitterer. Bettie, who was Brad’s Aunt, Jon Fitterer’s mother and Joe Fitterer’s wife, attended the Tacoma school that was later rebuilt in 2003. Today, the Allen C. Mason Intermediate School goes by the name of Mason Middle School; though the original building was demolished, the new school remains a staple in the Proctor neighborhood of the city.

Pictured : Bettie Klopfenstein Fitterer 

Though yearbooks photos have evolved over time, improving with advances in technology, the idea has remained the same. A collection of photos commemorating a class of eager graduates, often telling a story of fashion trends and pop culture.

Almost by coincidence, when we went to put this rolled photo away , we discovered a Central Washington College of Education 1938 yearbook! This book is in nearly perfect condition for its age, the pages are crisp, the photos are clear and the finish is glossy.

Front Cover and inside views of the annual publication from the Central Washington College of Education - 1938 

This annual publication is very much like any modern high school yearbook that you’d pick up at the end of the school year. Athletics, activities, clubs, class photos and head shots line the pages in black and white. Many of these traditions have transcended time, though we see more color and less advertising in today’s versions! Fitterer’s grabbed a spot in the advertising section as well!

Congratulations to the class of 2018! If you’re around town celebrating a graduate, stop by and see us!