Location: 44.26126°,-88.41502° (Appleton, WI) Gender: Male
There is no truth, Only a perspective.
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"Blumpkins" Furniture Factory of "Wienertown", WI < on 12/4/2013 5:24 PM >
"Blumpkins" Furniture Factory, despite looking like it has been closed for decades, saw its last days of operation as recent as the beginning of 2011.
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Built in the mid-1800s, mostly of wood and other flammable material, it now stands as an extreme fire hazard. The ceilings are lined with a thick layer of fire-retardant and warning signs are posted throughout the complex, warning of fire risks and what to do in case of a fire, when they should really be stating "IN CASE OF FIRE, GET THE FUCK OUT, YOU IDIOT!"
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"Blumpkins" was the first of its kind, being established before "Wienertown" was even a city. It produced everything from office furniture and work benches to rocking chairs, highchairs and shingles. It even produced caskets for a length of time! If it was made of wood, chances are it was made here. Quality was never a problem.
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The factory was a huge part of the workers' lives. Walls are still littered with American flags, plenty of Green Bay Packer's posters and even stenciling and quotes from workers predating World War II.
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The company was great at keeping up with the ever-changing world, adapting new technologies and manufacturing methods. On May 4, 1907, the company became the first electrified sawmill when the company installed a Westinghouse generator, parts of which still remain in the plant. The company also advanced greatly into the modern, post-war era with the creation of its own plastic, Resilyte, which became a stamp in mid-century modern furniture for homes, offices, schools and institutional buildings.
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Lasting 161 years total and being passed down between several generations of family, "Blumpkins" finally met it's match. Being sold outside of the "Blumpkins" lifeline, it found itself in the hands of poor ownership, consisting of unpaid bills and a mortgage foreclosure.
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Having only been closed for a couple years, only a few graffiti artists have made their mark.
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Active scrap is slowly underway, and the remaining life of "Blumpkins" is unknown.
Bonus photo, because i thought these guys were darn cute (All four of 'em. Check out those staches!):
If anyone is interested in more vintage photos, i have a butt-ton of them. (All vintage photos were not taken by me, but borrowed from family of "Blumpkin") Thanks for viewing! I do hope you've enjoyed!
[last edit 12/4/2013 5:58 PM by relik - edited 1 times] "When it rains, just find bigger drains."
Location: 44.26126°,-88.41502° (Appleton, WI) Gender: Male
There is no truth, Only a perspective.
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Re: "Blumpkins" Furniture Factory of "Wienertown", WI <Reply # 2 on 12/4/2013 5:59 PM >
Posted by Malthea I really enjoyed the write-up and vintage photos alongside your own photos. 2 and 7 are the same. Was there another you meant to post?
Thank you much, and thank you for pointing that out! Oops! *fixed* "When it rains, just find bigger drains."
"You work your life away and what do they give? You're only killing yourself to live!"
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Re: "Blumpkins" Furniture Factory of "Wienertown", WI <Reply # 3 on 12/4/2013 6:19 PM >
Should'a called it Fuckstaff. "Are you happy now with all the choices you've made?" "Are there times in life when you know you should've stayed?" "Will you compromise and then realize the price is too much to pay?" "Winners and losers... which one will you be today?" ***Social Distortion***
"You work your life away and what do they give? You're only killing yourself to live!"
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Re: "Blumpkins" Furniture Factory of "Wienertown", WI <Reply # 6 on 12/4/2013 7:11 PM >
Posted by relik
It crossed my mind, but come on now Ed! That's far too close to the original name!
Oh fine, now the whole UNIVERSE knows, lol!
Great set, BTW bro. Killer coverage and crisp shootin'. The historic shit and the graf is top-notch. "Are you happy now with all the choices you've made?" "Are there times in life when you know you should've stayed?" "Will you compromise and then realize the price is too much to pay?" "Winners and losers... which one will you be today?" ***Social Distortion***
Re: "Blumpkins" Furniture Factory of "Wienertown", WI <Reply # 7 on 12/5/2013 5:03 AM >
Oooooh very interesting post! I loved your shots and reading your descriptions. Can't believe this place was still running in 2011. Looks incredibly run down from the outside. http://www.youtube...atch?v=nM_u22RKLcY My Lower Mainland Cliff Jumping Video
Location: 44.26126°,-88.41502° (Appleton, WI) Gender: Male
There is no truth, Only a perspective.
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Re: "Blumpkins" Furniture Factory of "Wienertown", WI <Reply # 9 on 12/5/2013 7:23 AM >
Thanks guys! I appreciate the positive feedback! This was my first attempt at doing a bit of research and writing a little something up. Unfortunately, i didn't get to spend as much time here as i would've liked to, therefor i didn't get too many great shots. Although that may be, a return trip is in the somewhat near future!
When i first saw this building, several years ago, i thought it was abandoned. Then i found out it was an active factory. *shrug* "When it rains, just find bigger drains."
Re: "Blumpkins" Furniture Factory of "Wienertown", WI <Reply # 15 on 12/7/2013 4:21 AM >
I used to live in this city. I passed this factory a few times wondering if it was still open. Perhaps when I roll through for the holidays I'll check it out now. Flickr: http://www.flickr....os/kenfagerdotcom/
Location: 44.26126°,-88.41502° (Appleton, WI) Gender: Male
There is no truth, Only a perspective.
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Re: "Blumpkins" Furniture Factory of "Wienertown", WI <Reply # 16 on 12/8/2013 8:37 PM >
Posted by kenfagerdotcom I used to live in this city. I passed this factory a few times wondering if it was still open. Perhaps when I roll through for the holidays I'll check it out now.
They scrap during the week, so weekends are best. It's all wide open. All that is needed is the jump of a fence. "When it rains, just find bigger drains."
Re: "Blumpkins" Furniture Factory of "Wienertown", WI <Reply # 19 on 12/9/2013 6:43 AM >
Great set Relik! Interesting to know that it was still open until 2011 with all that old inventory. Those computers were the shit back in the day, floppy disks and all, lol Great history info!
