Skip to main content
Notice: The Library is open for research by appointment only, please visit our research services page for more information.

Tee Vee Corp. photographs

Creation: 1950s
 Collection
Accession: 2022-220

Abstract

Tee Vee Corp. was a retail appliance store in California that sold televisions and other household appliances. This small set of photographs shows the Tee Vee Corp store's exterior and interior views.

Dates

  • Creation: 1950s

Extent

12 item(s)

Physical Description

12 photographic prints : b&w ; 8 x 10 in.

Historical Note

Tee Vee Corp. was a retail appliance store in California that sold televisions and other household appliances. Sol B. Amen (1920-1995) and Samuel Rais (1901-1977) opened the store as Television Theater in May 1949. The store was designed as a theater, providing seats for more than fifty people and operating more than ten television sets to demonstrate the twenty-three different brands of televisions for sale. The building was made almost entirely of glass, enabling patrons to see in from the outside. Initially the store focused exclusively on televisions, but it expanded its inventory to include radios, turntables, stoves, and refrigerators. By 1952, Rais was the sole owner of the store, which had three locations in Compton and Long Beach. The store went out of business shortly after his death.

Scope and Contents

This small set of photographs shows the Tee Vee Corp store's exterior and interior views. One storefront view shows five different vehicles for the company, including a van and a box truck; another depicts a showroom surrounded by oil derricks. In contrast, another photograph shows its location by the not yet completed Lakewood Circle Shopping District in Long Beach. Internal views include two of the showroom floor with lines of televisions, radios, refrigerators, and other appliances. Two show a man and a woman demonstrating a combination radio turntable. One shows two men standing next to a large sign for a store contest. Another shows a repairman in the shop working on an appliance.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Language of Materials

English

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title:
Tee Vee Corp. photographs
Author:
Laurie Sather
Date:
2022
Description rules:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description:
English
Script of description:
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Audiovisual Collections Repository

Contact:
PO Box 3630
Wilmington Delaware 19807 USA
302-658-2400