102 years of Fuller Brush

In 1906, Alfred Fuller started the company with $375 and a space in his sister's basement in Boston, where he made brushes by night and sold them by day.

Three years later, Fuller hired 260 salesmen to go door to door.

By 1956, Fuller Brush had 7,000 full-time dealers and claimed that its sales force called on about 90 percent of American homes.

There was a Red Skelton movie called "Fuller Brush Man," and a Lucille Ball flick called "The Fuller Brush Girl."

But by the 1960s, more women were working outside the home, and there weren't as many housewives to greet a Fuller Brush Man. And people were less willing to let strangers in. The Fuller family sold out in 1968.

In 1986, Fuller Brush began selling by mail order, and now it sells by TV infomercial. There still are 6,000 distributors, but many work part time and sell to friends and relatives.

The company is still based in Great Bend, Kan., where it makes most of its products and is the town's largest employer.

Source: Fuller Brush