Originala, Inc.
Biography
Originala, Inc. was founded by Louis Bader, father of Nat and Irving. It was a high-priced coat firm. The company became a public company in 1962. It then began a program of diversification, opening divisions for coats below the price range of Originala, for sportswear and rainwear. When the company became public, its volume was about $3,000,000. With the program of diversification of product mix, and the addition of new divisions, the volume rose to $16,000,000. Profitability did not keep pace with volume. By 1977, Originala had shut down all of its "divisions, and was out of the apparel business. The corporate shell became Originala Petroleum and had merged with petroleum producers. It is still a public company with its shares traded over-the-counter. Originala, Inc. is an unusual example of an entrepreneurial apparel business which converted to another industry.