Home Pool Equipment, Inc.
HOME POOL EQUIPMENT, INC.
1815 N. Potrero Ave.
El Monte, CA
The Home Pool Equipment Company somehow got into the aluminum tree game and The Aluminum Forest would love to know how. In researching HPE, little turned up until uncovering its parent company, Doughboy Industries of where? Why, New Richmond, Wisconsin! Founder Edwin J. Cashman seems to have been a master of industry diversification, though the Doughboy success story is a bit of a tangle.
What we know: In the late 1950’s’s Doughboy was getting into plastics. Wisconsin was deemed ill-suited for plastics production, due to the harsh, cold climate. Soon thereafter, HPE pops up in El Monte, CA selling pool equipment and Aluminum Christmas trees!
HPE was a big proponent of flocking aluminum trees. In fact, their Sno-Line Flocked tree may be the fluffiest aluminum tree ever flocked!
It seems HPE produced a limited product line. The Silverline encompassed the silver trees, and the Sno-Line branded the flocked models. Trees were offered in both ‘Curl & Twist’ and Pom-Pom versions.
Distributorship was through Sears, Montgomery Ward, ACE, independent Rexall Drug Stores, and Skaggs Pay Less Drug Stores.
Hallmarks of HPE Trees
-Curl and Twist needles.
-Aluminum poles with adjustable flanges, a patented design of the Mirro Company of Chicago. HPE also produced trees with painted wood poles.
– Aqua colored boxes.
The Aluminum Forest remains on the beat, searching for more info on HPE.
Meanwhile, please enjoy our image gallery of HPE products and ads!
Seeking anyone with info on Doughboy Industries and the Cashman Family.
The Aluminum Forest has thus far been unable to find current contact information.