143 Years of BISSELL History Through Innovative Design and Advertising

by Tiffany Decker & Lori Huisman

It was 1876. America was celebrating 100 years of freedom. Ulysses S. Grant was struggling to unite the nation. In the growing city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Anna and Melville Bissell were unpacking dishes in their crockery shop on 27 Canal Street. The straw dust, which was used as packing material for the housewares, clung to floors and was difficult to clean up. Mechanically inclined, Melville invented and patented a sweeper that would clean up the dust rather than pushing it around. His invention was a success, and Melville & Anna began making and selling these sweepers out of the second floor above their crockery shop. The business grew and, in 1883, a factory was built in Grand Rapids specifically designed for manufacturing carpet sweepers. Thus, the Bissell Carpet Sweeper Company was born.

When Melville unexpectedly died in 1889, Anna took control of the Company becoming one of America’s first female CEOs. She continued the BISSELL tradition of creative sales, and advertising techniques were developed that propelled the Company to prominence both in America and around the world.

During our presentation in February, we will take a journey through several key moments in BISSELL’s history, highlighting the innovations and advertising styles that drove the Company to success over the past 143 years. Some of the interesting and notable figures that have played a part in BISSELL’s history include such names as Claude Hopkins, Norman Rockwell, Leo Burnett, Peter Muller-Munk and Harley Earl, among others.

With such a long and varied history, BISSELL’s advertising platforms have ranged from newspapers & flyers to radio & television and everything in between. One of the more unique platforms for advertising was a 9-foot Ferris wheel that was built for BISSELL’s display at the World’s Fair in 1904. Miniature Ferris wheels were then built for department stores, displaying between eight to twelve BISSELL sweepers each. A small replica of one of these Ferris wheels can be seen on display at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

Tiffany Decker’s love of history has fueled a passion to uncover forgotten stories. As Senior Data Assets & Archives Coordinator for BISSELL Homecare, Inc., she oversees the digitization and preservation of 143 years’ worth of records—including fine art, prints, photographs, media, and objects. With a bachelor’s degree in Art History from Kendall College of Art & Design, she has worked in collections management and maintenance for over 10 years in settings ranging from academia to museums and libraries. Tiffany is an active member of the Association of Records Managers & Administrators and the Society of American Archivists, and she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in library and information sciences. Tiffany lives and paints in Muskegon, Michigan with her rescue dog, Penelope, and her cat, Gypsy.

Lori has worked at BISSELL Inc. for 16 years, and works in the Corporate office as the Associate Specialist – Board & Shareholder Relations. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business & Psychology from Calvin College. She currently lives in Caledonia with her husband and two children.

Join us in February as we highlight some great advertisements from our archives and relive a bit of BISSELL’s deep history in product innovation & design!

“143 Years of BISSELL History Through Innovative Design and Advertising”, Thursday, February 13, 2020, 7:00 p.m., presented by Tiffany Decker & Lori Huisman.