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Stevens Clogging Supplies
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Company History
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The story behind STEVENS STOMPERS® is an American
folk history in and of itself. Walt Stevens had always loved
clogging, so he and his wife Marti
Stevens formed the Burlington County 4-H Cloggers in Mt. Holly,
N.J.
At the time the club began, clogging taps were made from
cast aluminum. This posed a problem for cloggers because they
would frequently crack. Walt had the idea to make the taps from
STEEL. Since Walt was an engineer, Marti suggested that he go
ahead and design a steel tap. This was a totally revolutionary idea.
Steel taps would be stronger and have a better sound.
Thus STEVENS STOMPERS® were born. The
strength of steel also allowed them to be thinner and have better tap
action.
But as anyone who has ever tried to turn
a great idea into reality knows, the "sweat" really begins
after you get the inspiration. Walt worked out of the family garage and
cobbled a few steel prototypes together and danced on them,
himself. Once he had a workable design, he endeavored to have steel dies
made to punch out the taps. This is a highly expensive
proposition. So funds were very tight.
At one point in the process, Walt and Marti had
invested all of their cash into the dies and advertising. There
was no money in the household to buy food. So, Marti, ever the
resourceful one, gathered up scrap copper tubing from the basement from
when the plumbing had been installed. This netted her $26.00, so
she could go grocery shopping!!
Sales started very slowly, as word of the revolutionary tap design began
to circulate in the clogging community. At the request of
cloggers, Walt and Marti began offering additional products to
cloggers. STEVENS STOMPERS® Taps are still proudly made in America,
and the company now has about a half-dozen employees.
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▲Our
most recent catalog
pictured above.
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▲Above
is an early catalog,
hand-drawn by Walt Stevens. |
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Your Clogging Supply Place:
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Stevens
Clogging Supplies, Inc.
P.O. Box 112 · 49 Franklin Road
Mercer, Pennsylvania 16137 USA
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Call
Toll Free USA & Canada
1.800.722.8040 USA · 1.800.544.7824 CAN
1.800.531.9335 FAX
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Overseas
Phone: 1.724.662.0808 · FAX: 1.724.662.2050
Copyright © 2004 - 2008 Stevens Clogging Supplies, Inc. |
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