Esquire Shoe Polish was the best selling
shoe polish brand in America from the 1940s to the 1960s.
During the
Great Depression, Sam and Albert Abrams, chemists and entrepreneurs from Brooklyn, took over an ailing boot polish maker, the Knomark Manufacturing Company of
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. As of the 2020 United ...
.
In 1938 they purchased the Esquire brand.
After a saturation
advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
campaign in 1944, the company became the best selling
shoe polish manufacturer in the US.
A 1951 advertising campaign featured the singer and television star
Kate Smith.
In the late 1950s, they sold the Esquire brand and the 1914-built
on 330 Wythe Avenue
in Brooklyn. In 1957,
Revlon
Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it still remains. Revlon was founded by brother ...
acquired the Esquire brand which made annual sales of 15 million dollars. Revlon sold the Esquire shoe polish brand and other Esquire product brands in 1969. The
Sara Lee
Sara may refer to:
Arts, media and entertainment Film and television
* Sara (1992 film), ''Sara'' (1992 film), 1992 Iranian film by Dariush Merhjui
* Sara (1997 film), ''Sara'' (1997 film), 1997 Polish film starring Bogusław Linda
* Sara (2010 ...
company purchased the Esquire brand in 1987, which discontinued it in favor of their
Kiwi brand. In 1994, Papercraft Corp. of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
purchased the Esquire brand from Sara Lee. In 2010, Griffin Brands acquired the brand. It still exists in the form of shine polish today.
The Esquire Building was acquired in 1984 and converted to
condominiums by Stephanie Eisenberg
in 2000.
References
{{Revlon Inc
Revlon brands
Shoe polish
Manufacturing companies established in 1938
1938 establishments in New York City
Products introduced in 1938