PAT HOFFINGER (aka Patty Reed) is the person associated with the arising of Portland's "The Daisy Kingdom" in the late Sixties (1969). In the picture below that's one of her employees, pattern designer Pebble H.standing in the doorway of their main store at 217 NW Davis, in Portland, Oregon zip 97209, in about 1975.
I include this company in the History of Gear because it created and sold a line of kits that made it possible for folks young and old to construct their own ski-wear. In this way, Daisy Kingdom was similar to another fledgling outdoor company of 1969, Frostline Kits of Colorado! I also include Daisy Kingdom because its philosophy was very much compatible with the spirit of the other great pioneering gear makers like Gerry Cunningham, Dick Kelty or Jack Stephenson.
Please Note: All Material here, and in all my "History of Gear" webpages, is copyrighted, and no usage of my material is permitted unless explicit permission is granted by me, Bruce B. Johnson, owner of OregonPhotos.com. ...Readers: if you were involved with one of the old-line, vintage gear companies and have a story to tell in these pages, please contact me soon (brucej@Oregonphotos.com) Disclaimer: The material on this page represents only the reports of the correspondents and my own interpretation of those reports. In many cases "History of Gear" material is difficult to independently verify and that is a "given" in this type of research. It is important to keep in mind that the events, gear, and personages reported in the "History of Gear" lie far in the past, in some cases as much as 60 years in the past. It is common that even people who were within the same company so many years ago will remember/interpret happenings in quite different ways.
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Jamie P., an employee who worked for DK for some ten years in the late 80s and up to the big lay-off of 1996 wrote, "The Company was purchased by Springmaid Corporation in 1996 and most of the behind-the-scenes employees were laid off. The retail side remained open, and most of those employees retained their jobs, but the art studio, graphics division, wholesale division and warehouse operatioin was gutted to a skeleton crew. Patty Reed (her married name) owned the building on 8th and Davis, plus the warehouse on Yeon Street. I think the warehouse was shut down a few months later...I presume that Patty still owns the Daisy Kingdom name, but I think the company itself has been lost to time....I have many fond memories of working there and of the creative folks that are now scattered to history." ..This employee has fond memories of key staff such as "the magnificent Dagny Sousa," "the VP of Design Luann Balderee," and of "the great creative artist Nancy Newell." ....Note: Daisy Kingdom patterns are still being sold by various pattern outlets, but it is unclear to this writer if the original company or its original owner(s) have any connection to the continued existence of DK patterns...... Readers with information are invited to contact me!
Kelly D., another employee, reminded me of this DK product-- "At one time Patty manufactured "Cloud Coats" that were sold at Nordstrom. She even stood in the Sportswear Department, modeled them and sold them during the Quilt Convention that came to Portland. The quilters touring our store ate them up." He also reminded me that Patty's link to the outdoor world included not only downhill skiing by her family, but also competitive ice skating by her children.
BOOK ALERT: MY BOOK ABOUT FROSTLINE KITS IS AVAILABLE. PLEASE VISIT MY FROSTLINE PAGE IF INTERESTED. NEAR THE TOP OF THAT PAGE YOU WILL SEE A "BANNER" THAT YOU CLICK ON TO GET TO MY PUBLISHER. NOTE: "GERRY, To Live in the Mountains," 75 pages, was released in late May 2008. In November 2009 I finished my third book, which is about Holubar Mountaineering; it received an Award at the Boulder, Colorado Chautauqua in May 2010 as one of the year's best Local History efforts.Since then, I've also released books about MSR (Mountain Safety Reserch) and Stephenson's Warmlite Equipment Company. Contact me: oldgear@Oregonphotos.com
Price of the 1975 Daisy Kingdom Bell Bottom Ski Pants Kit is only $30.00
