KVP

While sorting through the box of recipes I mentioned in the post about the electric organ and the creepy house, I found this packet of samples from KVP. The lady of the house requested samples and order forms from the Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment company, makers of shelf liners, pie crust papers, fancy wax papers to wrap sandwiches in...all kinds of goodies, really. Here is a letter from them, with the woman's name and address blanked out:



How nice of them, how considerate! Plus, note the date: 1944. Which would explain this added card (right). When you use Dusting Paper, you're using Dusting Paper with Hitler.

These shelf liners come in nine shades! All bright and clean looking. I think it's weird how today's contact paper, for the most part, is so dull (the one's left to me in my kitchen cabinets are this weird, faux woodgrain, which is funny, seeing as the cabinets themselves are wood, and it's easy to see how "faux" the woodgrain really is).



Now for my favorite part, the wax paper. Wax paper for your kid's lunch pail! For tray liners at a birthday party! I've always thought of wax paper as being tin foils boring older brother, but no more!







I keep thinking what a great anything pattern these things would make. Curtains. Wallpaper. A dress. Or best of all, a combination of the three, wherein you would blend in with your surroundings. A vintage chameleon. Isn't the fish one the best?

Wikipedia says:

"The Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company was founded in 1909. The founder, Jacob Kindleberger set up shop along the Kalamazoo River. The company then started selling pieces of land, located around the mill, to the mill workers. By 1930, the population had grown to 511 and Parchment officially became a village. Parchment became a city in 1939, and has become known as "The Paper City". Over the years KVP was bought out by or merged with other companies including, Sutherland Paper Company, Brown Company, James River, and finally Crown-Vantage. 2000 marked the end of the paper making era in Parchment and the city has struggled to keep itself afloat. Now the great debate in the city is what to do with the old paper mill land."

How neat to live in a town named "Parchment".



This site has a little more on the company history, plus a tiny photo of a what looks like a whole roll of the zoo/cowboy wax paper, gimme gimme gimme.

Flickr set on KVP factory, a now-abandoned building.