100 South 4th Street | Reading, PA
The General Advertising Company was established by a Mr. Alan Potts in 1901 located in Reading, PA. The General Advertising Company was a manufacturers of enameloid signs and calendars. Their “Enameloid signs” were very similar to tin-over-cardboard signs, and the manufacturing process was patented on December 18, 1900. The Permanent Sign & Display Company located in Reading, PA was the only other competitor that made similar signs in the area.
The produced advertising times for various companies and businesses like Sherwin-Williams Paints, F. W. Woolworth Company, Cadet Hosiery, Panama Tobacco, and Peter Barbey’s Inc Brewery just to name a few. They operated out of their original location until it they went bankrupt and ceased operations in 1942. The original building is still standing to this day and has been converted into loft-style apartments.
Below are a few examples of the signs that they produced:
