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Flecto Company was a paint, wood finish and flooring company, noted for creating Varathane®. They were also the donors of the carousel at Children's Fairyland.

Varathane was invented by John "Jack" Vetterli as a high-quality polyurethane alternative to varnish. In 1974, Ken Vetterli purchased an old merry-go-round (coincidentally built in 1950, the year Fairyland opened) to showcase Varathane at trade shows.

In 2002, Flecto donated the carousel to Fairyland, members of the Lake Merritt Breakfast Club figured out how to reassemble it, and it was an instant hit with the children. But by 2015, after more than 10 years back in action, it was showing wear. Flecto had been purchased by Rust-Oleum (RPM, Inc.), but Fairyland reached out to them, and the company not only gave advice on how to restore it, but paid for the restoration. 1

Company History

Flecto was started in 1933 in Berkeley by Oran F. Vetterli and his wife Beatrice “Bessie” Vetterli. 2 (John Edward Vetterli's obituary describes him as founder and CEO, but he was born in 1930.)

In 1960, Flecto had a manufacturing plant at 209 Brush Street. They continued to grow, but their facilities were spread over 5 locations across Oakland. So in 1970, Flecto purchased the building at 1000 - 45th Street on the Oakland/Emeryville border to consolidate its operations. 2

Flecto was purchased by Rust-Oleum in 1998. 3

Other Connections

Links and References

1967 ad

  1. Snapp Shots: Restored Fairyland carousel opens to public Oakland Tribune March 30, 2016
  2. Do-It-Yourself Crowd the Target Oakland Tribune November 22, 1970
  3. SEC document sec.gov
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