HARRY AND RUTH

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--- ABOUT US --- Kalish Finest Brushes is a modest ‘Mom and Pop’ operation with two senior citizens sharing the joys of a successful business. Ruth and I started selling art supplies around 1980 while I was preparing to retire from my engineering career at Bell Telephone Laboratories. Our stock included multi lines of oils, watercolor, etc. - and brushes. We learned what is good and what is bad about brushes, and watched the big established brush makers vie for market share. Our art-supply business, Kalish Photo, became known for its quality, personalized service, and good prices.

Around 1989, a good friend and art professor who was conducting a teaching tour in Ireland, discovered a small factory making artist brushes. He was impressed and told them that he knew someone in the US who would be interested in their fine brushes. And that’s how it started.

We fax the designs of each one of our brushes to the factory and they send us samples until we are satisfied. Their craftsmanship is superb, and they use only top-quality hair from the most reputable hair dealer in Europe. The brushmaker who hand-makes our brushes has over 40 years experience. We keep in close touch with the factory and maintain a large stock for prompt shipment.

We sell directly to artists and teachers in the US and Europe, and we love to speak with them on the telephone or e-mail. Only a few years ago, most of our orders were through ads in the top artist magazines, but now (2011) most are through our e-store on the internet. Some are recomendations from teachers and some old customers still order on the telephone. Our greatest satisfaction is reading testimonials from artists who discover that our brushes are superior to those being made by the old established names in brushmaking.