Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Co.

So glad I braved the snow this past weekend to head south to the Medina Flea Market. It never disappoints! Unfortunately, two of my favorite jewelry vendors weren't there but I still found some amazing housewares that I've already listed in the shop! By far, my favorite finds of the day were a collection of calendar prints from the 30s, 40s and 50s. 

One one side were various inspirational quotes

And on the other, the calendar

I assumed it was some company calendar from a vegetable distributor in MI but after looking it up, there's a much more interesting story!

Ariel view of Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Co. 

Founded in 1909, the Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Co. was started in order to take advantage of the success of other paper mills in Kalamazoo, MI. They developed a specific type of paper product used in the meat and dairy industries. In 1915, "Uncle Jake" Kindleberger, who founded the company, began building housing to accommodate the growing workforce. The area became known as Parchment and was incorporated as a city in 1938 with a pop. of 770. It has since been known as "The Paper City". 

KVP's diversified product lines included everything from wax paper to dusting papers to other household needs. As KVP grew and prospered, so did Parchment. By the mid-1950s, KVP had almost 4,500 employees. It continued to expand with the acquisition of other paper companies in Michigan and Canada. 

The mill company is no longer active but for more information on the city of Parchment and its' history, check out the Remembering Parchment project on the Parchment Library's site. They have oral histories, pictures and a info on a recent reunion they had for former mill workers. 

I couldn't find much on the calendars specifically, but it seems they were produced from 1938-1967. I have three in my shop from 1938 which I believe was the first year they were put out!

To see all of them, check out the 'Home Decor' section of my shop here.