Wolf-Gordon Inc

Wolf-Gordon was founded in 1967 by four highly motivated sales executives from Gilford Fabrics: Mel Wolf, Bernie Gordon, Tony Prota, and Frank Carr. They struck out on their own with the intention of building a distribution company for vinyl wallcoverings, a product that was growing rapidly in commercial design markets. Mel and Bernie knew each other from the elementary school they attended on the east side of Manhattan; and Tony and Frank were Gilford’s very top salesmen. Their wives—Dottie, Reva, Betty, and Frances—joined in the venture, working in the Company’s original offices at 132 West 21st Street, in Manhattan. The combination of friendship, experience and determination among the four partners would serve as a solid foundation for Wolf-Gordon’s growth. The post-War economy was strong in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s as Wolf-Gordon expanded from its New York City base into major markets up and down the East and West Coasts of the United States. From working with a primarily independent sales rep network, Wolf-Gordon gradually shifted to a salaried sales force that strengthened its relationships with interior designers. In the early days, stipples and faux grasscloth looks were extremely popular in corporate offices and brokerage firms, Wolf-Gordon’s major end-users. The Company also offered wood veneers and suede wallcoverings that took on more importance in the late ’70’s and ’80’s. Buccaneer Suede, a faux suede vinyl wallcovering, was one of Wolf-Gordon’s best sellers. Custom wallcoverings were offered from the Company's beginning, whether it meant creating a wall pattern out of a logo or designing a new, site-specific pattern from scratch. In fact, Wolf-Gordon pioneered a “kit of parts” screen printed collection of ten patterns developed by Patty Madden in 1982, called “Metropole.”