Talon Zipper was a company founded in 1893, originally as the Universal Fastener Company, in
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
. They later moved to
Hoboken, New JerseyHoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 38,577. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
and finally to
Meadville, PennsylvaniaMeadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city is generally considered part of the Pittsburgh Tri-State and is within 40 miles of Erie, Pennsylvania. It was the first permanent settlement in northwest Pennsylvania...
. Here, the zipper was mass produced beginning in the 1920s. The high demand for zippers created favorable conditions for the Talon Company, and so became Meadville's most crucial industry. The company encountered significant difficulties after it was sold to a different owner in the 1970's, eventually ending up bankrupt.
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Talon Zipper was a company founded in 1893, originally as the Universal Fastener Company, in
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
. They later moved to
Hoboken, New JerseyHoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 38,577. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
and finally to
Meadville, PennsylvaniaMeadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city is generally considered part of the Pittsburgh Tri-State and is within 40 miles of Erie, Pennsylvania. It was the first permanent settlement in northwest Pennsylvania...
. Here, the zipper was mass produced beginning in the 1920s. The high demand for zippers created favorable conditions for the Talon Company, and so became Meadville's most crucial industry. The company encountered significant difficulties after it was sold to a different owner in the 1970's, eventually ending up bankrupt. Many locals believe
YKK GroupThe is a Japanese group of manufacturing companies. As the world's largest zipper manufacturer, YKK Group is most famous for making zippers. However it also manufactures other fastening products, architectural products, and industrial machinery....
played behind the scenes roles to ruin the company so they could recoup the business to Japan. That rumor has never been proven but none the less many people's lives were ruined by the downfall of Talon in Meadville. Sadly, today, nothing remains of Talon in Meadville except for a few run down buildings. Other early names included the Automatic Hook and Eye Company, and the Hookless Fastener Company. They were the first
zipperA zipper is a popular device for temporarily joining two edges of fabric. It is used in clothing A zipper (British English: zip or (rarely) zip fastener) is a popular device for temporarily joining two edges of fabric. It is used in clothing A zipper (British English: zip or (rarely) zip fastener)...
manufacturing company. The brand is now part of TagitPacific.