Could You Give Me Information On Youngstown Kitchen Cabinets?

"I was online, looking at websites for kitchen remodeling and renovations.  I came across a photograph of a Youngstown kitchen cabinet.  I had never heard of this type; was it made in Youngstown?"  The Newton Falls Public Library staff found this to be intriguing as they had never heard of this kind of cabinet.

We searched online and discovered that this was a fascinating subject with links worth taking time to examine.  According to the website Retro Renovation, following World War II Youngstown Kitchens was the number one brand of steel cabinets.  The company was "originally called Youngstown Pressed Steel Kitchens, and was a division of Mullins Manufacturing Corp., of Warren, Ohio."  This site also has a 1953 B&W video of the Mullinaires singing the Youngstown Kitchen song.  The site, Internet Archives, gives more details about this "follow the bouncing ball" film of singing salesmen.

Page 6 of National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Spain Housein Tupelo, Mississippi includes the company slogan, "The World's Largest Maker of Steel Cabinets" and noted their dealers were able "to show you your dream kitchen in perfect miniature."  The blogs, Retrochalet Vintage and Design-Swag have examples of the small plastic models of the cabinets and appliances.  Youngstown Kitchens' door to door salesmen carried the models in sample cases so homeowners could make their selections.

In November  2011, Teresa Wilmott  of Claremont, California posted an essay about Jennifer Vanderpool's exhibition  "Hometown Story: Youngstown Steel Kitchen.  An Exhibition of Media, Archival Prints, Historic Films, and Curated Objects" at The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown Ohio.  It includes the Mullinaires video and an additional one from 1950 by the Mullins Manufacturing Company titled "The Last Word in Automatic Dishwashing."  This video appears to be made for the company representatives to instruct them in all the details of the appliance.  Besides making cabinets, the company offered dishwashers to homemakers.  This video is over 21 minutes long and can also be viewed on YouTube.  Numerous online postings of Youngstown Kitchen advertisements note that the company offered both front and top loading dishwashers; food waste disposers; kitchen wallpaper, decals and fabrics; and for children, a Jet-Tower Junior top loading dishwasher which hooks up to the sink dishes, pots, and silverware

A Wikipedia article about Sharon Steel taken from "Farrell Golden Jubilee Souvenir Program 1901–1951" states that in 1936 the Mullins Manufacturing Corporation which merged with Youngstown Pressed Steel "has made great progress as a producer of kitchen equipment, automobile stampings, range parts, washing machines, and refrigerators, and is doing a thriving business under its new management." "Salem: A Quaker City History"  by Dale E. Shaffer, pg. 101, said the corporation's product line included "airplane parts to zinc centerpieces and ceilings.  Other products included architectural ornaments, signs, auto trailers, auto parts, kitchen equipment, shells and casings, statues, washing machine tubs and hundreds of other hot- and cold stamped products."  Page 103 of the book has a photograph of the employees and some of the statues they created.  

What is the Best Kind of Kitchen Cabinet?

"I'm remodeling my kitchen and wanted information about cabinets.  My contractor is recommending one company over another. Is one better than the other? Are there cabinet reviews in Consumer Reports?" The Newton Falls Public Library staff knew the library had many books about kitchen remodeling and design, but this question required a different form of information.

The first option for our patron was to examine our print material such as the magazines Family Handyman, This Old House, and Consumer Reports and its new companion magazine ShopSmart.  These often have information about various companies, including comparisons.

Another option was to search online.  Our patron wanted to be able to look at Consumer Reports on his home computer.  While going directly to their website requires an online subscription; a library card holder can access it for free through the Ohio Web Library.  We instructed our patron to go to www.newtonfalls.org, select Ohio Web Library, then Resources, followed by MasterFilePremier (EBSCOhost).  At this point, away from the library he would have to type in his library card number. At home, our patron would select the option Full Text, type in "kitchen cabinets", and choose Consumer Reports as the publication he wished to search. There will be a list of print articles that may be read on a computer or tablet.

We also informed our patron if he wished to know personal opinions about various cabinet companies, he could use an online search engine, and type in the "cabinet company name" and "review."  It could also be helpful to type in "company A vs. company B" to see what other consumers felt about their experiences with the products.

Picnic Table Plans

“I need instructions for building a picnic table; the kind with unattached benches. The ones I see at the stores all have attached seats.” The Newton Falls Public Library staff understands the difficulty of climbing over attached benches and the desire for the flexibility of removing the benches from a table.

The first item that came up in a search of the online catalog was Build It Better Yourself by the editors of Organic Gardening and Farming. The picnic table in the chapter Outdoor Furniture was one with attached benches. This same chapter also has plans for a small table with the traditional crossed or slanted legs seen in larger picnic tables. If our patron were very handy he might be able to use the instructions for both these pieces of furniture to design his own, but he preferred to have a set of plans from which to work.

Weekend Woodworking for the Garden by Cindy Burda with Thomas Stender has an unusual picnic table and bench combination made from various lengths of 2 X 4s, stacked and threaded together by steel rods. Individuals who wish to use a variety of materials in their building will find Better Homes and Gardens Outdoor Projects You Can Build filled with interesting ideas. There are benches made from wood along with your choice of flue tiles, a window well, or clay tile reducers. These benches could be used with the book’s Contemporary Picnic Table which has the crossed legs. Building Outdoor Furniture by Ed & Stevie Baldwin has instructions for a round table with separate benches and the requisite hole for an umbrella. Better Homes and Gardens The Best of Wood Book 3 has a very pretty table and bench set on its cover with hearts cut into the leg panels. Also included are the instructions for a matching Comfy Country Chair which is similar to an Adirondack chair.

Our Internet search revealed more types of picnic tables and benches than we imagined. There was one which could be broken down for easy portability, one with a roof, a set of curved picnic benches to put with your choice of table, and another table that splits into two bench seats with backs. Finally at the Popular Mechanics site [http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/woodworking/1779112.html ] we found the plans for the classic cross legged table and benches desired by our patron.

Why does my declawed cat still scratch the furniture?

“My cat is declawed. Why does he still attempt to scratch the furniture?” Most of the Newton Falls Public Library staff own pets, so we always find pet related questions to be very interesting. The library has many books on cats and their care. The first ones examined, The Complete Guide to Cat Care by Wendy Christensen and the staff of the Humane Society of the United States, Housecat: how to keep your indoor cat sane and sound by Christine Church, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting & Owning a Cat by Sheila Webster Boneham, Ph.D., address the controversial issue of declawing. Scratching is an instinctual behavior and felines do it for three reasons: to sharpen their claws and remove the outer sheath, to scent mark their territory, and to anchor bodies so they can stretch. Housecat also mentioned that cats use claws for scratching themselves and grooming [p.117]. When it appears a declawed cat is attempting to scratch, they are actually scent marking. Cats will also do this with their faces, so when your cat rubs against or pats you they are marking you as their own.

If your cat still has claws and you are looking for options to keep your household goods from being shredded and scratched, there are books and web sites to give you options. Outdoors, cats will do very well with trees. Indoors, you as an owner need to be creative as each cat may have a different scratching style. According to Dr. Boneham, some cats like to stretch and scratch horizontally and others like to stand and scratch [p.115.] Cat trees and posts covered with carpeting, tightly woven fabrics, sisal rope and twine are very popular. You can build your own with The Pet House Book: how to build housing, accessories, and playthings for your dogs, cats, birds, lizards, hamsters, and other pets by Lura Labarge. One of the more interesting projects in this book is a “Natural Cattree” made from actual tree branches with wooden and basket perches, and macramé and fabric slings. FelineFurnitureFactory [http://www.blogger.com/feline-furniture.tripod.com] has links to free plans for both trees and posts. One of the trees is made from a small stepladder. For those with limited woodworking skills, CrazyMeezer [http://www.crazymeezer.com.au/2007/06/build-your-own-cat-furniture] suggests using wall shelving to create a cat climbing unit. This site also links to another suggesting how to use other do-it-yourself furniture to make pet housing.
No matter what type of pet you own, the Newton Falls Public Library staff will be happy to assist you in finding the information you need to keep it happy and healthy. Visit the library at 204 S. Canal Street, Newton Falls, phone 330-872-1282 or online at www.newtonfalls.org