There may not be actual elves working at Holgate Toy Co., but
toys are being made just the same.
And the company, which moved to Bradford from Kane this year,
has been busier than ever.
“It was a good move over here to Bradford,” president Richard
Bly said. “I think we are … settling in … it’s extremely busy.”
Holgate’s business has jumped in response to the recent lead
paint scare in toys made overseas.
“Consumers said they had enough. U.S.-made products are safe,”
Bly said.
Over the past few years, more than 80 percent of the toys on the
market were made in China. When those items were pulled from the
shelves for not being safe, they turned to companies like Holgate
and Smethport Specialty Co. in nearby Smethport.
According to Bly, this included new customers as well as those
who upped their orders.
“Which is great,” Bly said. “We are very busy.”
The increase in business is something Bly foresees as staying
around a while – knock on wood.
“I think that’s going to continue. That’s not going to end
tomorrow.”
Without going into specifics, Bly said Holgate has seen a
“significant increase in sales.”
The paint Holgate uses is “well below” what is accepted and
they’ve used the same paint supplier for 20 years.
“We know who we are buying from.”
The company also has the paint tested from time to time to
ensure its safety.
Sales of certain toys are up, too, such as My First Block wagon,
which is already sold out for Christmas.
With an increase in sales, the company has also hired more
employees. Now, there are seven full-time employees. The company
had two full-time employees in February when its acquisition by
Pepperell Braiding Co. was announced.
One of the long-time employees is Lee Sittig, which Bly calls
the “Geppetto of Holgate,” referring to woodcarver who made
Pinnochio.
Among Sittig’s various jobs – electrician, machinist – is to
come up with new toys.
Sittig said that he draws from his own childhood and toys his
father and uncle would make.
Sittig was working on a new toy, a piece of wood shaped like a
triangle with wheels that spin around.
Bly imagines that it can be worked into an executive-type toy
for people’s desks as well as a top-like toy for children.
Many of the toymakers take the toys home to be tested by their
own children or children in the neighborhood, Sittig said.
The company’s toyline, Bly said, are “time-tested” and have
remained the same since their inception.
For instance, the Classic Bingo Bed is still made the same as it
was in 1934 when it was first designed by Jarvis Rockwell, brother
of famed illustrator Norman Rockwell.
The company is also expanding into limited edition toys.
New this year is a limited edition of Ducky Duck, which comes
with a letter of authenticity.
Holgate started in 1789 – the same year George Washington became
the first president of the U.S.
Cornelius Holgate started a woodworking shop in Roxborough,
outside of Philadelphia, and made feather duster wood handles.
Eventually, the company moved to Kane and started making toys in
1929.
In 2007, the company was acquired by Pepperell.
“We make America’s finest wooden toys,” Bly said, listing such
toys as the Rocky Color Cone and Classic Trolley from Mister
Rogers’ Neighborhood. “We’ve always stood behind our product.”
The company works with different wood vendors to get the parts,
but does most of the drilling, sanding, finishing and screen
painting in Bradford.
The recent lead paint crisis has also lead to more exposure for
Holgate. Reports have been shown on Fox News, the Washington Post,
USA Today as well as Korean and Japanese stations in the U.S.
Business has also been good at Smethport Specialty, according to
president Scott Cavagnaro.
The toy company, which also does business as Smethport Toys and
Lauri Toys, had to hire a few extra workers to make sure they got
through the Christmas orders, which usually hits between July and
October.
(Era Correspondent Fran De Lancey contributed to this
report.)
