Soon after the end of World War II, Bob & Jim Adcock pooled their resources, plus a $2500.00 loan, rented a small building at 8126 So. Central Ave and began manufacturing hassocks under the partnership name of Adcock Brothers Manufacturing Company. Jim had taken a beginning mail order accounting course plus a year of bookkeeping while in school. Bob had acquired radio repair experience, attended Vocational Trade School, electronics work in the Naval Ship yards during the War and adapted well to the mechanics of carrying a business - while Jim used his expertise more in Sales & Office administration. Together, a team was formed and lasted until retirement at the end of 1983 -- 43 years.
The first project in the course of the company's evolvement was the manufacturing of hassocks. We were given an opportunity to learn the basics of sewing machine operations at the Reed Furniture Company, who loaned us the machines and sold us the vinyl coated cloth for the hassocks. The Reed Furniture Co. became our first customer for hassocks. Bob used his mechanical ingenuity to develop a hydraulic plunger unit that would compress the rice straw (hay) into the bags that had been sewn and prepared for the straw stuffing. Together Bob & Jim worked producing hassocks to the end of the 1946 Christmas season.
Adcock Bros
WelTrim (tm) Brand
Store Front Window c1948
"Apple"
Hassock c1948
After Christmas 1946, the market fell flat for hassocks. It seemed a good item up to
Christmas, but there were no buyers afterward, so we got together with our wives
and friends, scratching our heads and trying to come up with something to do to
keep the business alive. We came up with the idea of stuffed animals and hired
several seamstresses to help us build up an inventory of hassocks and stuffed
animals for the 1947 season and to carry us the early months of the new year.
But, this wasn't working, trying to develop a new product with no expertise, other
than sewing, to work with. One day a salesman came in and seeing our dilemma
with no orders coming in, suggested we manufacture welting for the manufactures
of automobile seat covers. We had the sewing machines and this idea became a
turning point in our careers. We manufactured our own welt for the hassocks and
the salesman's suggestion got us laboring day and night manufacturing welt,
spooling it and then Jim would toss it into the trunk of his car and travel from
seat cover manufacturer to seat cover manufacturer, peddling it at market price.
When the Jobbers in town got wind of what we were doing, essentially selling
their customers at retail, they wanted us to sell to them, and they would become
our distributors, provided we discontinue selling the individual shops in so
many gas stations during the 40's and 50's, where the bulk of automobile seat
covers were made.
We negotiated a deal with the jobbers downtown and
reduced the prices to them based upon quantity purchases. This kept our sewing
machines going 24 hours a day and new automotive trimming products began to
evolve, such as fenderwelt, wire-on, gimp, hidem welt, carpet binding and soon,
even making boxes of white cotton covered welt for patio furniture pad
manufacturers. Times were pretty tough in the late 40's as our country began to
get going again after the great war. Bob set up housekeeping at Doheny Park
during the summer months, living in a tent on the beach with his family. He
would commute with his family on weekends, but the struggle to provide for
family and the challenge of continuing the Adcock Brothers Manufacturing company
kept both Jim and Bob working to fulfill their dreams. It was necessary for us
to send our rolls of cotton sheeting and vinyl coated material out to be slit
and/or biased and this became a burden on us financially. This is when we were
able to gather a total of 8 interested gentlemen of the upholstery trade to join
us in incorporation proceedings in 1948. This is when we then became known as
Adcock Manufacturing Corporation. This, forming a corporation, gave us funds to
purchase our first slitting machine in 1948 that is still operating.
Bob Adcock in front of 5906 Western Ave.
c1955
After incorporating, business went fairly well and we moved from our Central Ave
address to 5906 S. Western Ave. and later to 317 S. Glasgow Ave. in Inglewood,
where we occupied two buildings before moving in 1978 to the present facility at
1550 W. 132nd St., Gardena, CA. It was truly a school of hard knocks, getting
started and continuing: Two brothers, by the Grace of God, hustling it out for
the long run, sometimes stumbling along the way, but learning from mistakes and
accepting the challenge to go forward, being led through prayer, Spirit and
fortitude. What a true blessing it was, that Bob & Jim had two wonderful
Nephews who came on board with Adcock Mfg. Corp., working from the ground up;
cleaning, sweeping, learning as they went, to take over when the time came for
Jim & Bob to retire. What a natural, in that they also were part of the
Adcock "tribe". Wayne and Roger Adcock built upon the foundation that
Bob & Jim laid and brought the Corporation to its present level. We salute
Wayne & Roger for their devoted perseverance and integrity in taking the
baton from Bob & Jim and continuing the race to continue forward to win,
bringing to this 50th year anniversary from small beginnings to growing
expectations.
Robert & James Adcock - 1996