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Blair
Good people. Excellent values. Strong work ethic.
Friends and neighbors would have described the Blair family much like this in the early 1900s. They still would today.
John Edwin Blair, son of an Irish immigrant, settled in Warren, Pennsylvania, in the late 1800s to raise his family with his wife, Margaret. It was here that he established a successful grocery business, and he treated his customers well.
Son John L. Blair learned much from his father. So in 1910, when a fellow law student at the University of Pennsylvania approached him with a sales opportunity, young John was ready. His friend had just inherited a raincoat factory and hoped that John would become a sales manager for him. Easter vacation and a train ride home to Warren was all the time John needed to make his decision.
With a suitcase of raincoats in hand, he approached clothing store owners along his way. While in one of the shops, he ran into a local undertaker who was looking for a warmer wool coat that was waterproof. John didn't have any such product at the time, but he worked with his friend to create a new process of putting a layer of rubber in between layers of wool. The result: a unique new raincoat that undertakers across the nation would surely snap up in an instant!
And John knew that the best way to reach this new market was by mail. So with just $500 borrowed capital and the help of his brothers and sister, John typed addresses on envelope after envelope, singing the praises of this "new process" raincoat, a product which became known as the "Keep-Dry". And he sold 1200 raincoats in no time! Thus, the "New Process" Company was created.
It truly was a family company. John's father, brothers and sister worked with him from the very beginning to send advertising and fill orders. And every order was prized. In fact, the Blair family knew every customer by name.
Through the past 100 plus years, the company has certainly grown. The product line has evolved from decade to decade. We now offer apparel and accessories for women and men, quality items for your home, Improved Living items to help you from day to day, and so much more. We’ve changed our name to simply… Blair. But some things haven't changed, even after so much time. Our company headquarters are still located in Warren, Pennsylvania. We still maintain the high standards that John L. Blair built the company on so many years ago. And we still believe our customers are our absolute top priority every day.
laid-back favorites for a COMFORTABLE FIT
