The CLEVELAND MODEL AND SUPPLY CO. was known as one of the nation's oldest and most prominent wooden model airplane kit manufacturers. The company was founded ca. 1918 when Edward T. Pachasa, then in high school, began making model airplane parts in the family's basement. An increased interest in airplanes in the late 1920s led to the firm's growth. The company was incorporated in 1929. Edward Pachasa (later Packard), who served as company president, had 4 of his brothers join him in the endeavor, as well as his father, Andrew. By the late 1930s, the company was exporting its model plane kits and planes to Europe, Asia, the Mideast, and Africa—76 foreign countries in all; 47 different models were available. At its peak, the firm employed more than 100 people. From the 1940s to the 1960s the firm was located at 4506 Lorain Ave.
The boom in model airplanes ended after World War II. Also about this time, most other manufacturers switched from wood to plastic. Some diversification of the firm took place over the years. The company once operated the Cleveland Models Products Co. and the Loft Supply Co. Other types of model kits, including railroads, were carried. As of 1992, founder Edward Packard was still president of the company and there was one employee, working out of quarters at 9800 Detroit Ave.
Cleveland Model and Supply Co. Records, WRHS.