Earl B. Feiden: Nearly a century of caring for your comfort
Take a minute and think about living in the early 1920s. If you were well off, you might have a newfangled indoor sink and a flush toilet or a combination range that burned both gas and coal. You’d still have been using candles and oil lamps for lighting. And to keep your food fresh, you’d definitely be relying on ice.
The son of Latham dairy farmers, Earl B. Feiden Sr. realized as a teen that he could add value to the family business by harvesting ice from the farm pond and delivering it; soon adding coal to his inventory. He was the right man in the right place at the right time. Electricity was about to revolutionize the scene with wave after wave of innovation, and Earl’s neighbors needed someone they could trust to help them navigate the changes.
In 1926, Earl had his Grand Opening; the first showroom was in the family garage. As the new technology took shape, he stayed on its cutting edge, helping families find the right pieces for their needs and fixing and servicing them as needed. A purchase from Earl B. Feiden was the beginning of a relationship.
Returning from WWII, Earl Jr. saw his father’s dream poised for takeoff and opened a spacious showroom at Latham Circle; unpaved but already a commercial hub. The new store drew customers from all over the region and from neighboring states. At first, the showroom shared space with a pharmacy and post office, but by the 1950s the whole building was needed. “My grandfather and dad were entrepreneurs,” says Michael Feiden, who’s been running the Kingston showroom since the 1980s. He then gestures to a framed full-page ad for the company’s 30th Anniversary Gala Days: Ladies could get a free pair of nylons and a $50 certificate toward a Philco TV. There was a complete line of Hotpoint appliances in colors like Seafoam Blue and Coral Pink and a how-to session with a home economist. “We didn’t save that ad. A customer who was a retired advertising guy came in and gave it to me in the 90s. He saved it all those years just because he thought it was the best ad he’d ever seen.”
The reasons why the Capital Region’s first appliance store has blossomed into a beloved institution really haven’t changed since Earl Sr. started showing up with the ice. “The kitchen’s always been the heart of the home,” says Earl’s granddaughter Mary, one of four grandchildren who joined the family business. “The kitchen you grew up with, those memories are etched into your core. All of our stores incorporate vintage products in our showrooms, and people love seeing them.”
Mary Feiden has her own favorite customer encounter. “This woman walked in with her daughter a couple of years ago and told me, ‘I knew your grandfather. I was just a little girl and TVs were new, and he and your father used to invite all the kids from the neighborhood to come in and watch TV after school on Fridays. They’d have pillows to sit on all over the floor.’ Connecting with our community is in our roots and still who we are today.”
This is Part I in a 4-part series. Please see Part Albany Times Union.