European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 14, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                It s the Fuller Brush Man or woman by Sara Rimer new York times there is a Fuller Brush Man going door to door on Iho upper West Side of Manhattan he actually makes a decent living i can t believe Thoie s still a Fuller Brush man1" said the Middle Agod woman at the counter of Oscar Zimet s Lavonte col tee shop the Argo. On overhearing Virnet deliver his ode of the famous Fuller dry mop it s a wonderful mop pure Cotton you can Wash it As often As you want and it always comes out like new " the frail bespectacled 78-year-old Fuller Brush Man. Who knows a customer when he sees one presented the woman with a complimentary 38-Page catalogue listing More than 300 products from the original Fuller Bath Brush to Spray n sparkle eyeglass cleaner. You can Call me if you need  he Lold he. Zimet a polish immigrant who sold everything rom fur trimmings to rubber soles before discovering his True calling has been a Fuller Brush Man on the upper West Side or 30 years. He has outlived such neighbourhood institutions As the eat Shoppe. The Thalia theater and the original Argo which closed recently for modest renovations and reopened As the  and he has outlived such products of the 81-year-old company As polish for potbellied stoves anti Static Spray for lingerie and special brushes for Derby hats percolators radiators and Wicker furniture i am Semi retired now said Zimel. The Grandfather of three. But i was once a big Hustler i was very very successful i got a whole stack of letters and telegrams from the higher ups at Fuller Brush praising  today s typical Fuller Brush Man is a woman who works part time and does More business by Telephone than door to door. The people Zimel meets nowadays find it incredible thai the Fuller Brush Man still exists at All and. Further that he can be found in a City where no one opens the door to a stranger let atone one proffering a line like i m the Fuller Brush  things have changed since i started Zimet said restrictions used to be nothing. I went door to door and rang every Doorbell. I always introduced myself i m a new Man Here i m the Fuller Brush Man a new Man today could never succeed. People Are afraid to open the door especially in High class territory and i Oon t blame  a new Man might not succeed but the old Man is doing just Fine. I have very Loyal customers he said. One of them a retired executive Secretary named Mabel Viard. Recently showed off the Pink Nylon bristle Bath Brush she had bought from Zimel 30 years ago. It is still in perfect condition she said. As the briefcase toting Young professionals head downtown in the morning Zimet arrives on the bus from Washington Heights carrying his Gray suede portfolio with the company Monogram. On delivery in 1949, a. Howard Fuller president of the Fuller Brush co., celebrated the tint anniversary of the company s cosmetic division. The company is still in business with More than 300products on the Market. Days he picks up his products at an Ollice in the neighbourhood. He wears a coat and tie in the Winter Slacks and a Well pressed Short sleeved Cotton shirt in the summer and loafers with crepe soles at the fortress like prewar apartment buildings All visitors must be announced by the doormen. Deliveryman Are sent to the service Entrance. Only Zimel known by All As the Fuller Brush Man glides unimpeded through the Marble entranceway we just Buzz him in and Buzz him out said Bill Smith the Doorman at 175 Riverside drive and a customer. " you need anything. Bill thai s one of the first things he  that is about As much pressure As Zimet Ever exerts. The consummate Fuller Brush Man he disdains the hard sell firmly believing that his product is Good enough to sell itself. When the customer answers the door he always takes one step Back company training. You can build up business in a Nice Way without using pressure he said if a customer wants a buying brushes by Catalon byjoe Aycox associated Pressw Hen the Fuller Brush Man comes knocking it s less and less Likely that a housewife is at Home. So the company that built its reputation door to door will open its first two stores in the Dallas area this fall. We found that a High percentage of folks would buy Fuller Brush products if they could get  corporate spokeswoman Nancy Young said in a Telephone interview from Fuller Brush Headquarters in Winslon Salem . But the problem was giving them the  the company a division of Sara Lee corp undertook Market research in 1985 to develop new sales strategies. That led the company to test a Catalon and its Success led to a regional mailing into 16 Southeastern states in 1986, Young said. Fuller Brush plans to mail 1 5 million Cata logs four times a year nationwide she said. This month the company plans to open a 2,600 Square foot store in a shopping mall in suburban Mesquite followed by one in a Northwest Dallas shopping Center in october. The important thing to remember is that it s a  Young said Well look at what product mix works and How receptive the Market is " the growing number of working women is reflected in the declining number of Fuller Brush men. Women now make up four filth of the company s door to door sales Force. Young said. The company was founded in 1906 by Alfred c Fuller in his sister s basemen in Boston he offered free replacements for brushes that wore out. That guarantee still stands. Young said and the Fuller Brush direct sales Force will continue As the chief distribution network. Direct Selling is the Backbone of the company she certain item let s say Spring Mist and she says she wants four cans i say do you mind if i give you six cans " Zimel does nol sit around schmoozing with his customers to them he is the Fuller Brush Man and while he can rhapsody be about his product when you buy a Hairbrush from Fuller it lasts 30 Yea she does not like to talk about himself particularly not about the Hitler Era and whal it did to his family. I Tell you. I could write a Book he said we were eight children and i am the Only one Tell and i am the youngest he came to the City in 1949 and got a Job Selling fur trimmings. Eight years later a Chance encounter led to the Job he says he was born for somebody told me. There s a big company where you can make Money and it s called Fuller Brush " Zimet has no plans to retire. Ill keep working As Long As i can  he said. Whal should i do gel up in the morning and read the times it takes me an hour and then watch to you have to have a setup i Don t want to slay Home. I love the City and it seems to agree with  said whatever we have has to mesh with Iho rest of the  Bobbie Foster of Mesquite who has sold Fuller products for 18 months believes the new store will generate business for sales representatives it will put the Fuller Brush name out before a lot of people Foster said they Haven t known we re still around " she said a division manager will distribute store customers cards to safes representatives who can follow up with at Home orders the company makes its brushes in great Bend. Kan., along with More than 2.000 other items including Cotton mops and dusters household and Industrial brooms and cleaners personal care products gardening products stainless steel sponges and even 2 million plastic eggs a week for l eggs pantyhose Fuller brushes some of which Are specially designed to clean Jel engines Range in Price from $1 to $5,000 though Sara Lee won t break out figures on sales. Young said Fuller Brush sales were up 7 percent in 1986 monday september 14, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 17