Most people who pass the former post office at East Market and Prospect streets assume that the business inside is an art or photography studio, a reasonable assumption since the signage reads “Charles Mayer Studios Inc.”
Yes, the company does have a photography department, and offers services from executive portraits to motion picture photography. Picture framing is also a forte, with more than 2,000 molding choices, and services such as matting, installation and frame repair.
But what’s surprising is that Mayer Studios is actually a manufacturer of sales tools and training aids, specializing in 15 core areas, with hundreds of products and about 40 specialty services.
Displays and exhibits — from lightweight tabletop to large-scale floor models — with services from design and fabrication to installation and repair. Interior and exterior display boards — from bulletin to directory and letter boards — with dozens of features. Indoor and outdoor signs of all kinds. Plaques and presentation pieces. Rental audio-video equipment. An art department for everything from lettering and graphics to airbrushing and hot stamping. Woodworking offerings for items such as cabinets and conference tables.
Despite the seeming diversity, Charles Mayer, president, says these areas are strategically related, and were all spawned by necessity.
For example, Mayer wasn’t in the sign business two decades ago. But after installing computerized equipment needed for his display-lettering specialty, the opportunity for signs presented itself. And because some customers prefer wood displays, the woodworking department followed. If they wanted a wood veneer display, that required a plastics department for work with acrylic, extruded aluminum and all sorts of dyes.
“We get into the use of all these different things, so one specialty engages the other,” Mayer explains.
As a manufacturer of audio-visual equipment, such as rear projection screens for Bell and Howell, Mayer would add new equipment for part manufacture, and, in turn, find ways to make the most of it. In essence, necessity became the mother of invention, and innovation spawned new offerings.
“We were manufacturing flannel boards and we thought the Velcro concept would work for that. Velcro wasn’t interested in developing a similar fastener for us, so we developed our own version. We called it Hook N’Loop, filed for a patent and trademark, and that became one of our strongholds,” Mayer says.
Yet another forte falls under the umbrella of Mayer Investments Co., a real estate group that, among other things, purchases and rehabilitates properties — one of those being the historic building that houses Mayer Studios.
“We bought it 24 years ago for no other reason than to save it, because I liked the architecture. Like other properties we’ve had to gut and start from scratch, we put a lot of money into this building and now it’s recognized by the Federal Registry,” he says, noting that the rehabilitation was extensive.
Few people realize that when Mayer bought the structure, there were only two floors. The main level’s 30-foot-high ceiling made it costly to heat, so he minimized heating costs and maximized space by adding a middle level, resulting in a 75,000-square-foot office building that houses his multifaceted company.
Mayer says that even after 66 years in business, being able to fill multiple needs for countless customers inspires him to look for even more areas in which to specialize.
“That’s what keeps me going, because if I had to specialize in just one thing, I’d be lost,” he says.
How to reach: Charles Mayer Studios Inc., (330) 535-6121
