Arthur E. Smith Banjo Company Time-Line

1973- October. Kate and Mark decide to start a banjo company in Leverett Center, Mass. at The Leverett Craftsman and Artists (LCA) where Mark is making dulcimers. We start out with $600 and a table saw

1974-January 25. Mahogany Northampton #81, our first instrument, is sold to Tony Creamer at Fretted Instrument Workshop in Amherst, Mass.

1975?- First catalog, 1 piece hand-lettered two fold single sheet 8 1/2×15”with 6 pages.

1977- January 4  A.E.Smith incorporates as a Sub-Chapter S corporation. Total assets and inventory $9,472.00

1977- January. Second catalog released with January, 1977 price list. First soft cover catalog with separate price list. Cream colored with black ink. Victorian ornate cover. (See web site home page) 6 ½”x 9 ½ “ with 16 pages.

1977-August-September. Move to 30 Olive St. Greenfield Mass.

1978- April. Third catalog issued, soft cover. Same cover design as 1997 catalog. Individual price lists, both dealer and retail. First price list printed  April 1, 1978 and the second on May 1, 1979. Pale green with black ink.  6”x 9”with 20 pages.

1978- September 29, 1978-August 5th 1979. A.E. Smith Shelburne ll with heel carving featured at the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

1979- April. Frets article on A.E.Smith comes out.

1979- July 4. Kate’s last day of work at A.E.Smith Banjo Company. She leaves to start Maple Leaf Music in Brattleboro, Vermont.

1980-Spring. A.E. Smith moves to Old Mill Rd. Shelburne Falls, Mass. 01370.

1980- March 31. Last catalog with individual insert sheets for each banjo. Buff cover, cream pages with brown ink. Same cover design as last two catalogs, but missing top part of Victorian design. Retail and dealer’s price list. 6 ¼”x 10”.

1981- Spring. Business closes when recession hits.