History of the Grimes-Stassforth Stationery Co?

[PoohBang]

I picked up an awesome wood file cabinet from the Grimes - Stassforth Stationary Co.

I'm not having a lot of luck finding anything about the company other than they did drawings and the like.

I assume it was made by some other company and they put their name on it...

Anyone know?

 

[cvgrimes]

Grimes Stassforth Stationery Co.

The Grimes Stassforth Stationery Co. was founded in the 1880s in downtown L.A. [737 S. Spring St.] by my great-grandfather George William Grimes, and Mr. Stassforth, about whom I know nothing. For a long time, it was one of, if not the, biggest stationery stores in L.A., and continued until 1965, when it went out of business. My grandather Carl George Grimes ran it in the first 40 years of the 1900s, and my father, Carl George Grimes Jr. took over as President when he came back from Africa, having served there in WW II.

GSSC sold stationery supplies, furniture, and had a printing operation about 1 mile away.

Carl Variel Grimes
Mukilteo WA

 

[TM]

Wow!

Maybe it took a few months, but PoohBang asks an obscure question and then out of nowhere cvgrimes, a descendant of the subject answers in detail. Often the internet is tedious and boring, and every one in a while it's just fantastic.

Thanks cvgrimes!

Tony

 

[PoohBang]

thanks CV! I didn't put the link to my blog with the photos...

Here's some family photos for you... You don't happen to have access to three matching handles do you?

 

[chelle2032]

Carl,

I've been researching the Grimes family. Husband comes from the Barkley line in Missouri. Contact me if you want to share info.

Michelle

 

[DonY]

Variel family

This post is for CV Grimes - Years ago, I had several letter-copying books from the 1890s. They may have gotten lost in a move, as I don't know where they are now. One of them, from 1895, had a large Grimes-Stassforth paper label on the inside front cover. I did a search for this company and ended up here. I wouldn't have made this post except that I see your middle name is Variel. These books had copies of business letters sent out by Robert H.F. Variel from his law firm in downtown Los Angeles. I believe he was born in 1849 and died in 1905. Are you related?

 

[TrevC1953UK]

Hello Carl,

I am in the UK and I was interested reading about your connection with the Grimes-Stassforth family. I am a collector of cigarette cards postcards etc and I recently purchased a near set of playing cards. They all have different photographs of Pekin & China Views. They are souvenir cards and it says copyright 1901 by Grimes-Stassforth Stationery Co. Los Angeles Cal. Would you have any information about the history of these cards please?
They are very nice and make a great addition to my collection.
Would apprecite any help or information please.
Thank you
Regards
Trev in the UK

 

[TrevC1953UK]

Hello Michelle,

Please would you look in the Forum and see if you can help me, in fact, can anyone out there answer my previous question to Carl Grimes?
Appreciate any help.
Thank you
Trev in the UK

 

[cvgrimes]

Trev -

Sorry it has taken me so long to respond - got out of the habit of checking posts. Unfortunately, I do not know anything about these cards, and, sadly, all the elder Grimes members have passed away. If I come across anything I think would be of use to you, I will let you know.

Carl Variel Grimes

 

[cvgrimes]

DonY -

Now this is really fascinating - I never really knew there was any tie between the Grimeses and the Variels [before my parents got married in 1948], but this certainly supports the idea that there was. I am the great grandson of Grimes-Stassforth [co] founder George William Grimes [my father's side of the family], and the great grandson of Robert Henry Fauntleroy Variel [my mother's side]. And sorry it has taken me so long to respond!

Carl Variel Grimes

 

[KarinaCurator]

Hello Carl,

I am in the UK and I was interested reading about your connection with the Grimes-Stassforth family. I am a collector of cigarette cards postcards etc and I recently purchased a near set of playing cards. They all have different photographs of Pekin & China Views. They are souvenir cards and it says copyright 1901 by Grimes-Stassforth Stationery Co. Los Angeles Cal. Would you have any information about the history of these cards please?
They are very nice and make a great addition to my collection.
Would apprecite any help or information please.
Thank you
Regards
Trev in the UK

Hi Trev in the UK,
I know it's been nearly a decade and I'm not sure if this email will still work, but do you still have these Pekin & China Views? Would you be interested in lending or selling them to the Peabody Essex Museum for an upcoming exhibition on 19th century photograph in China? I've written an entry on them for our catalog and we'd like to include them in the exhibition.
Many thanks!
Karina Corrigan
Associate Director - Collections and H. A. Crosby Forbes Curator of Asian Export Art
Peabody Essex Museum
East India Square
Salem, MA 01979