M. A. Pacosa and Son collection of hardware sales brochures, 1930-1934
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Summary
- Creator:
- M. A. Pacosa and Son (Firm)
- Abstract:
- Hardware and variety store established in 1898 in Chicopee, Mass. by Michal Pacosa (1870-1935) that continued into the 1980s. Collection consists of sales and merchandising brochures and newsletters sent to Pacosa's business. Brochures represent a variety of products: hardware; household furnishing; paint and adhesives; roofing materials; seed and garden supplies and equipment; sewing materials; tools; and other items. Brochures also feature suggestions for store windows and merchandise displays; point-of-sale promotions; and print advertising media. Companies represented include: Dings & Schuster; Kelloggs & Miller; Masback Hardware; Philadelphia Seed Co.; and Wadsworth, Howland. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
- Extent:
- 200 items
- Language:
- Materials in English.
- Research Center:
- John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History
- Collection ID:
- RL.13182
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Collection consists of sales and merchandising brochures and newsletters sent to Pacosa's business. Brochures represent a variety of products: hardware; household furnishing; paint and adhesives; roofing materials; seed and garden supplies and equipment; sewing materials; tools; and other items. Brochures also feature suggestions for store windows and merchandise displays; point-of-sale promotions; and print advertising media. Companies represented include: Dings & Schuster; Kelloggs & Miller; Masback Hardware; Philadelphia Seed Co.; and Wadsworth, Howland.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Hardware and variety store established in 1898 in Chicopee, Mass. by Michal Pacosa (1870-1935) and closed in the 1980s.
Michal (later Anglicized to Michael) A. Pacosa was born in 1870 in Bialkowa, Poland. He immigrated to the United States in 1888 and opened a hardware and variety store under his own name in 1898 at 134 Exchange Street in Chicopee, Mass. Michal died on January 2, 1935 in Holyoke, Mass. After Michal's death the business was continued by his son John (born Jan; 1903-1994) until the store was liquidated around 1982.
Source: Ancestry.com, viewed February 12, 2026.
- Acquisition information:
- The M. A. Pacosa and Son collection of hardware sales brochures was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase from Marc Selvaggio books ephemera in 2025.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Richard Collier, February 2026.
Accessions described in this collection guide: 2025-0130.
- Arrangement:
-
Arranged alphabetically.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
- Subjects:
- Advertising -- United States
Display of merchandise
Display cases
Hardware stores
Merchants
Selling--Hardware
Show windows
Variety stores - Names:
- John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History
M. A. Pacosa and Son (Firm)
Wadsworth, Howland & Co.
Pacosa, M. A., 1870-1935 - Places:
- Chicopee (Mass.)
Contents
Using These Materials
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Using These Materials
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.
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- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], M. A. Pacosa and Son collection of hardware sales brochures, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1846d