vintage recycling: Rust Craft Easter Greeting Cards 1941 Shop windows

Rust Craft
"Window designs which are absolutely different in design, or beautifully arranged with some symbolic motif for the season, are sure to bring you greater sales"

white satin cross McGregor Co,Grants Pass Oregon

Rust Craft would hold window display contests for card dealers from across the country to enter.

winners were featured in their trade magazine, Rust Craft Rustler.
These creative card dealers faithfully filled their windows and sent in their pictures
month after month, year after year.

First Prize $25!!

I collected these wonderful pictures, showing a variety of winners from a vintage

Rust Craft Rustler magazine 1941

Louis H. Kyle Shelton Conn.

"Easter, the Window to Spring" Howard W. Boise, Inc. Plainfield NJ

"Simplicity was the keynote of this 11th prize window of Gold Tone Studios, Inc...Geneva, NY. The simple yet effective background was pale yellow, with the house in green, and the words "Easter Greetings" in purple; all behind the white fence with it's green gate. Certainly this made a very interesting window trim and it was a highly successful as a sales getter"

A SWING "8th prize window from Buffalo Card and Camera Shop Buffalo, NY, was cleverly designed, and although the swing was fixed in position it certainly shows plenty of action just the same"

6th prize winner Open Book Shop, Buffalo NY "a delightful designed bird house at the top of a real rustic tree, with blossoms and foliage. Leading from the shelf in the background were pink crepe ribbons, upon which were hung fifteen or twenty cards, while others were arranged in the foreground"

10th prize C.W. Gale of Beatrice, Nebraska

...purple velvet background setting off in fine shape the white cross and fence, both of which, as you will see, were decorated with flowers. ...the sign in the center reads,

"When praises ring, and voices sing,

In honor of a risen King,

It is a joy to hope that you May have a happy Easter"

13th prize Haslam's Book Shop, Green Bay , Wis.."tastefully arranged with it's fence and trellis"

window display contests certainly were not uncommon for their time. Such a high visual impact and valuable display area for any product, of course, had many companies jockeying to have their products featured.

the lucky winner was rewarded with their photo featured on the cover (top photo),

and, in this case, fourth place was also featured on the cover(bottom photo)

"Being convinced that animated displays attract most attention, Jenkins and Co, of Richmond, Ind., built this Easter window around a swinging group of bells, the motion being secured by a small rotating plate above an electric turn table which drew the bell frame back and then released it, thus keeping the bells in constant motion. The bells were white, with lavender glass ball clappers, the ribbon pull and bows being three shades of lavender, as were the box~like panels in the background. the Cal Art lilies and satin on the floor wee, of course, in white. Mr. E.E.Richard tells us the window was a great success; and our judges awarded it first place"