Proud to be King of Cling

Sixty years ago, when Harriet Struhl’s patent-leather handbag stuck to the vinyl tablecover in the dining room of the family apartment, her husband, Joseph, envisioned do-it-yourself sign kits that incorporate the tacky vinyl now known as static-cling vinyl. The resulting Magic Master line continues as a cornerstone of Joseph Struhl Co. Inc. (Garden City Park, NY).

Known for its ‘Ready 2 Use’ (interchangeable signs for retail counters, windows, car-tops and sidewalk signs) and “Ready 4 Graphics” sign blanks and changeable message-board signs, the company has kept expanding product lines and upgrading equipment. The company has continued to develop the static-cling market and has also added open/closed signs, modular frames/displays, and roll and banner holders, along with an extensive line of sidewalk signs.

Clifford Struhl, who now serves as president, said his father bought a diecutting press in the early 1950s, “before he knew what diecutting was.” The salesman who sold it kept stressing the machine was absolutely safe, yet he was missing four fingers.

Joseph expanded from the Brooklyn apartment to his father’s store, the Owl Trading Co., which sold novelty items to street vendors, then incorporated in 1948. He first focused on the New York-New Jersey area, where he and his sales representatives sold store to store. Then, Irving G. made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Insisting he could sell the company’s products, Irving went to Cleveland, OH to avoid NYC (the family eventually found out Irving was avoiding the Mob) and started to sell. Any doubts Joseph had about hiring Irving and expanding to the Midwest faded when sales orders kept flowing in.

Irving also recruited other reps with the stipulation that they would receive a 40% commission (Irving received 50%), and Irving would get a 10% override. The company used his system to build to a 400-rep network. “Some were full-time, some part-time, and some sometimes,” Cliff said.

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Each day, his father would dictate letters on a Dictaphone to encourage his salesforce.

Irving, along with two other top salesmen, taught Cliff their sales methods. Irving taught him if you knock on enough doors and make enough propositions, you’ll accrue good sales. Cliff said the second, “sledgehammer,” hard-sell approach took too much of a toll on the customer and salesman, while the third emphasized a more personal approach. “I stressed I was a student paying my way through graduate school,” Cliff said.

After having graduated from the University of Rochester in 1978, Cliff started to sell signs to pay for graduate school at Carnegie Mellon, where he graduated in 1981, and was earning $35,000 selling 30 hours a week. “I never thought I’d be in this business; during dinner one night we both talked about our jobs, and I said I disliked my job, and my dad said he wanted to work a little less. So, he asked me, ‘Do you think you can run this place?’ I said, ‘Piece of cake.’”

Eight years later, his father was working his way into a less active, “but still informed,” role, especially concerning equipment purchases and new products.

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The company has always kept an “Atlantic Ave.” address, whether in Brooklyn or in Garden City Park. Joseph planned the layout and contracted the builders for the company’s current headquarters, which is named the Kegacliste Building for sons Kevin, Gary, Cliff and Steven. All company products are produced in this facility.

Cliff said, “We use lean-manufacturing techniques, and we specialize in screenprinting, diecutting, plastics processing and assembly to maintain a large inventory so that most orders can ship the same day. In the old days, the reps mailed or phoned in their orders which were processed the day they were received. The company still maintains this policy.”

Cliff observed signshops are now producing POP and screenprinted materials, as well as digital printing. Also, Cliff said Internet sales, “today’s version of the traveling salesman,” have helped the company continue to supply small mom-and-pop shops nationwide, and these resellers rely on the quick-turnaround reputation. If the company receives an order by 3 p.m., it drop ships the order the same day.

Even though the company sells internationally in Europe, South America, Africa and Australia, loyal customers still receive letters with selling tips that also update them on the company’s products. “We have stayed in business for 60 years by being honest. We do what we say we’re going to do, when we say we’re going to do it, and we stay on top of the business.”