Arrow Upholstery
Arrow Upholstery, 153-157 W. 23rd St. (2004)

Arrowbilt
Super Quality
Upholstered
Furniture

Partially obscured by an F. M. Ring realtor's sign and punctured by a window, this sign for Arrow Upholstery Co. dates from around 1935 when Arrow moved here from 113 Spring St. The opposite (east) wall had a similar sign with the words Showrooms and Factory. Positive and negative prints dated Sept. 1935 in the New York Public Library's Digital Collections show the Arrowbilt sign on the opposite side. It looks to be identical with the sign on the west side, also reading Arrowbilt / Super Qualtity / Upholstered / Furniture. There were also signs on the second-story front windows identifying Arrow's location.

Arrow was founded in the early 1920s by Salvatore Francis Apicella (1895-1980) and Joseph (or James?) Parilli. Apicella immigrated from Italy in 1910 and seems to have been sole proprietor by the time the company moved to 23d St. Apicella registered for the World War II draft in 1942 while living in Stamford, Conn. The company moved from this location a block uptown at 125 W. 24th St. in 1951, then in the mid-1960s left New York for Fair Lawn, NJ.

The brand name Arrowbilt for the upholstered furniture seems to have been used from around 1928.

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