After dropping out of high school, Joyce Clyde Hall (or J.C. as he preferred) hopped a train to Kansas City eager to leave behind his difficult Nebraska childhood. Two years earlier, J.C. and his brothers, Rollie and William, attempted a business venture selling picture postcards. From that floundering enterprise, J.C. brought with two shoe boxes of picture cards.
With a strong work ethic and persistence (something he called the "Kansas City spirit"), his business prospered and the following year William joined him in Kansas City (Rollie remained in Nebraska running his own bookstore). In 1912, greeting cards with the Hall Brothers' logo were added to their inventory.
On January 11, 1915 fire destroyed the Hall Brothers' inventory. With a spirit of determination, the brothers obtained a loan and purchased an engraving business. Business thrived again and, in 1921, Rollie came to Kansas City. In 1923, the three brothers formed Hall Brothers, Inc. Later J.C. insisted, over the objections of his brothers, that the phrase "A Hallmark Card" be printed on the back of the greeting instead of "Hall Brothers Company."
When J.C. died in 1982, 10 million Hallmark Cards were sold annually and the company was worth $1.5 billion. Joyce Clyde Hall greeted an industry for "when you care enough to send the very best." In so doing, he created a legacy and Missouri company that was "the very best" in demonstrating the Kansas City and Missouri values of determination, quality, and hard work.
Sources
- Entrepreneur Magazine. “Joyce Clyde Hall” Accessed January 8, 2011. http://www.entrepreneur.com/growyourbusiness/radicalsandvisionaries/article197552.html.
- Hallmark Cards, Inc. “Founder Joyce C. Hall” Accessed January 8, 2011. http://corporate.hallmark.com/history/founder-jc-hall.
- Hallmark Cards, Inc. “Hallmark Facts” Accessed January 8, 2011. http://corporate.hallmark.com/Company/Hallmark-Facts.
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