About Us

William "Bill" Marvy was only 13 years old when he began working at a barber supply company in 1922. While still in his twenties, he founded his own successful company, but eventually grew dissatisfied with the barber poles he was selling on his sales route. Convinced he could build a better one, Bill set out to create a product that would forever change the barbering industry.

On New Year's Day in 1950, Bill's young sons Jim and Robert, threw the switch on the first "Six Ways Better" barber pole. It was an instant success. And an enduring one.

To date, the William Marvy Company of St. Paul, Minnesota, now led by Robert Marvy, has produced over 75,000 poles. Robert proudly oversees a business that is the only remaining manufacturer of barber poles in North America. Two Marvy barber poles are in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution.

But Bill Marvy left more than the legacy of an improved barber pole. In the early '60s, he introduced a complete line of Steril-Ray Ultra Violet Sanitizers. A few years later Mar-V-Cide Liquid Disinfectant and Marvy Disinfectant Jars were introduced. Names that would become industry standards known throughout the world.

Today, the Marvy line of quality products also includes neck dusters, shaving mugs, hair brushes and assorted sundries.

Robert's sons Scott and Dan have joined with their father to carry on the family tradition. Both are actively involved in the daily operations of the business, putting special emphasis on the same kind of personal customer service that their grandfather offered. The father and sons team maintain a sizable parts inventory that makes it possible to restore almost any barber pole made by anyone, anywhere.

Without question, the barber pole remains a classic American icon. And the Marvy name remains synonymous with a professional commitment to the barber and beauty industry that proudly displays it.