Display of the 1910's

This extensive collection includes 500 vacuums spanning a century of progress. The museum displays vacuums from the 1910’s to modern times in decade-themed vignettes complete with period furniture and memorabilia from that era. Visitors will discover a glimpse of Americana through the evolution of the vacuum and accompanying newspaper and magazine advertising displayed in each decade.

Tom Gasko, Museum Curator and National Authority on Vacuums, donated his collection to museum, which includes many from Stan Kann, legendary organist for the Fox Theater, St. Louis, MO. A collector since childhood, Gasko’s passion has allowed the former Festus vacuum retailer to appear in USA Today, the HBO’s documentary This Is America, and other national media. He has also served as president of the National Vacuum Cleaners Club.

“Tom is perfect at blending entertainment with education”, says Joy Petty, Director of Marketing for Tacony Corporation’s Floor Care division. “He has such an extensive knowledge of about how the vacuum cleaner has evolved, and how each was directly related to changes in America. You have no idea how exciting vacuums can be until you visit Tom at the museum”.

There are also a few “celebrity” vacuums on display including the official vacuum cleaner of Air Force One and the childhood vacuum of Emmy nominated actor, James Earl Jones.

The Vacuum Cleaner Museum and factory outlet are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with free admission. The museum is located just off of Hwy. 44  at exit 195, at #3 Industrial Drive, St. James, MO. For more information, visit www.vacuummusem.com.

ST. JAMES, Mo. – While many manufacturers are closing factories in the United States to take advantage of cheaper overseas production, Tacony Corp. is doing just the opposite – again.

Tacony Corp. is gearing up to start producing Simplicity (http://www.simplicityvac.com) and Riccar (http://www.riccar.com) canister vacuums at Tacony Manufacturing in St. James. These canister vacuums were being produced in China and Korea but will be manufactured in the United States by the end of the summer.

Moving production from Asia to America isn’t new to Tacony Corp. In 1997, the company opened its vacuum factory in St. James, a small town located along Historic Route 66, to begin manufacturing upright vacuum cleaners that previously were made for Tacony in Taiwan.

And the quaint Missouri town with 3,704 residents welcomes the jobs (http://www.stjamesmissouri.org/). In March, Missouri unemployment jumped to 9.1 percent (http://www.missourieconomy.org/).

According to Mayor Dennis Wilson, “St. James is home to many hard-working, dedicated people looking for manufacturing jobs, so we are thrilled with the expansion of Tacony Manufacturing. While the trend in other factories throughout the mid-Missouri area has been to move production overseas, the leadership at Tacony has gone against the grain by importing jobs from overseas to St. James. Naturally, these jobs not only help the local economy, but contribute greatly to boosting the overall morale of the community.”

At the time Tacony Manufacturing opened its doors, the entire vacuum factory consisted of only five employees. Almost a decade later, in October 2006, the 120 employees of Tacony Manufacturing proudly watched as the 1 millionth vacuum rolled off the production line.

“While we’ve been making our upright vacuums in the United States for some time now, we’ve been hoping to grow to the point that someday we could move canister vacuum production here, too,” said Tacony’s CEO, Ken Tacony. “The people of St. James are grateful for the manufacturing jobs our vacuums provide and it shows in the quality they put into each Simplicity and Riccar vacuum they build. I’m thrilled that we are now in a position to add another 20 jobs with canister vacuum production.”

In 2008, less than 7 percent of all vacuum cleaners purchased to clean American homes were made in U.S. factories. In evaluating moving production from China and Korea to the United States to help change this statistic, many issues came into play. “While making the canister vacuums in Missouri will certainly cost more, there are numerous offsetting benefits,” explained John Kaido, senior vice president of home floor care for Tacony Corp. Kaido continued, “By building vacuums in Missouri, we have quick access to what’s happening on the factory floor, allowing us to have a ‘strangle hold’ on quality.”

While manufacturing jobs are important for America, the main reason behind Tacony moving production to the states was to ensure Simplicity and Riccar vacuums are the highest quality, best performing vacuums on the market. That’s because Simplicity and Riccar vacuum cleaners are sold exclusively through independent vacuum retailers nationwide. These stores service all types of vacuum cleaners and know what works and what doesn’t in terms of vacuum design and construction quality. It’s their reputation, not the manufacturer’s brand name, that’s on the line each time they recommend a vacuum cleaner. And as a result, these retailers are very particular about what they sell.  Therefore, these “mom and pop” shops are much more interested in quality, high performance and long-lasting durability than brand name recognition.

“While the wave of pocketbook patriotism sweeping across the nation at the moment has certainly brought attention to our vacuums, we aren’t relying on the ‘Buy American’ slogan as the top reason someone should buy one of our vacuums,” commented Joy Petty, director of marketing. “What’s exciting for us is that while other vacuum manufacturers are forced to design a vacuum that meets a price point demanded by a mass merchant buyer or has a low enough product cost that a national advertising campaign can be funded, we have the good fortune of making vacuums that people will rave to their friends about, and these new U.S. made canisters are no exception.”

Headquartered in St. Louis and founded in 1946 by Nick Tacony, Tacony Corp. is a privately held manufacturing and distribution company operating in four strategic business units: home sewing products, household vacuum cleaners, commercial floor care products and ceiling fans. With more than 650 associates in 12 offices around the world, Tacony’s mission is to create long-lasting relationships that are based on trust and feel like family. For more information, visit http://www.tacony.com.

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