According to the New Yorker, in 1902, Traute brought the concept to the Pabst Brewing Company in Milwaukee, thus making PBR the first food and beverage company to invest in branded matches. Traute heard about a New York City opera's company success in promoting a performance via illustrated matchcovers. Photo: The New York Historical Society/Getty Imagesīut the matchbook's potential as an advertising vehicle gained traction when Diamond match salesman Henry C. "People who don't smoke use more matches than people who do," he says, "so the whole thing has been reversed." Here's a look at the popular souvenir's history, from its peak during the early decades of the 20th century to the folks keeping the tradition alive today. Anderson, who's also known as "the Matchman," spent 27 years working for the Texas-based Atlas Match, and has seen matches' role in American life evolve in those three decades. "If you smoke, you have a Bic," says Jerry Anderson, a recently retired match salesman.
Given that the phosphorus-coated sticks aren't as frequently used to light up a filterless Camel or an American Spirit, matches' symbolism and public image have changed. Tilden goes so far as to dismiss match alternatives, such as toothpicks and scratchpads, as less desirable restaurant "swag." Tilden's gathering spot - located in the Ace Hotel in the heart of Portland - offers slim boxes with its name in red sans serif font on one side, and an illustration of a cleaver on the other. "It's an old-school piece of the restaurant, a take-away," he says. "We think of matches as a nostalgic collectible," he says, noting that they're a useful object that "people tend to hold onto." Nate Tilden, owner of Portland's Clyde Common, agrees. (After all, you never know when a stove might fail to light, or the power might unexpectedly go out.) Peter Garfield, managing partner of One Off Hospitality Group in Chicago, which stocks matchbooks at its casual retro-influenced Dove's Luncheonette and Big Star restaurants, points to the sentimentality factor. While smoking rates have plummeted in recent decades, that doesn't diminish the appeal and utility value of the match. "We think of matches as a nostalgic collectible people tend to hold onto." Truth is, he says, "everybody loves a great box of matches." McCarty posits, however, that his guests' surprise is disingenuous. Although matchbooks are no longer a go-to restaurant souvenir, Michael's offers a classic 1½" x 2 ¼" sized matchbox - emblazoned with the bi-coastal restaurant's signature Art Deco-inspired pale pink script against a dark green background. "People are always astounded that we still have Michael's matches at the front desks," says restaurant owner Michael McCarty, who offers the once-ubiquitous restaurant keepsake at both his restaurant locations: Michael's Santa Monica and Michael's New York.