H70.73.22

From the History Information Station:

Singer sewing machine for making buttonholes; from the Eagle Pleating Company in Oakland, Joe Lum, proprietor.

Commercial tailors often came to Mr. Lum to have bound or tailored buttonholes sewn into their garments. Many home sewers who wanted a garment professionally finished also took their buttonholes to Mr. Lum. His modern equipment and expertise made Lum's services an attractive alternative to laborious handmade buttonholes.

Joe Lum: Emigrant and Entrepreneur

Joe Lum came to California from Chungshan, China, in 1904, at the age of 18. He found work with his cousin, Joe Shoong, who owned the National Dollar chain stores. It was then that he learned to use sewing machinery.

Lum peddled fancy landies underwear from door to door before opening his own business, Joe's factory, in 1909. His work included stitching overalls for clothing manufacturers. One of his customers was Levi Strauss & Co., in San Francisco.

Lum was fascinated by American technology. According to family recollections, he was always interested in finding ingenious new machinery to lighten the work of hand sewing and finishing garments. In 1915, he opened the Eagle Pleating Company at 1524 San Pablo Avenue in Oakland. There he and his staff used all kinds of machines to do pleating, fluting, embroidery, buttonholing and other fancy finishing work for commercial tailors and home sewers. Because of the Depression, Lum closed his shop in the 1930s, but he moved his beloved machines to his home and continued his business there for many years.