Schulte

Schulte is the name of a pipe and tobacco shop that operated in the American state of New Jersey in the mid-twentieth century, and also of the pipes stamped with that same shop's name. Its founder, Max M. Schulte, is remembered less as a shopkeeper standing behind the counter than as a craftsman who spent most of his day at the lathe and polishing wheel. The name is occasionally misspelled as "Shulte."

Two Addresses

The business's known first address is 672 Springfield Avenue in Newark. The most solid document confirming this address is the record of the American patent Schulte filed for in 1960 and received in 1964; the applicant's residence is listed there under the same number. The shop later moved further along the same avenue to Maplewood, at 1628 Springfield Avenue. The move is said to be connected to the social unrest Newark experienced in 1967; this connection has not been confirmed by independent records.

Those who knew the shop consistently emphasize that at both addresses, the business centered not on the sales shelves but on the repair bench, which was set up where customers could watch the work in progress. Fuller descriptions of the interior layout rest on a single testimony.

Pipes and Tobaccos

Alongside the imported brands on his shelves, Schulte also sold his own hand-made briar pipes under the shop's name. These pipes are said to have leaned mostly toward classic shapes, and Schulte is reported to have embraced the Danish influence of the era early on. A complete inventory of the stamps he used has not been established.

The second arm of the business was tobacco; blending was done in the shop's basement. The best remembered product to come out of it was "Maritza." Sources differ on whether this was a Balkan blend or an Oriental tobacco sold on its own; what both versions agree on is that the tobacco is remembered for its strength. The spelling of the name is likewise uncertain.

Family and Legacy

Other family members also worked in the shop. According to accounts, most of the repair and blending work fell to Max's son Barry Schulte, while Max himself, in his later years, moved into a supervisory role. Howard Schulte, whose main profession was teaching, came into the workshop part-time. Sources disagree on how closely Howard was related to Max: in one account he is the son, in another the nephew.

The workshop's indirect contribution to pipe history comes from a figure who trained there. Retired attorney Jack H. Weinberger picked up his craft by watching Schulte work at the bench before he began making his own pipes; it is noted that the brand JHW Pipes rests on no other formal training than that.

Max Schulte's patent concerns not the pipe itself but an accessory that accompanies it: a holder with two spring-loaded arms that grips a pipe, cigar, or cigarette, filed on May 4, 1960, and registered on July 14, 1964, under number 3,140,782. In the patent drawing, these arms are likened to the silhouette of a seated kangaroo. The shop closed at some point thereafter; the closing date was never recorded.