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 82,000 poles. Robert proudly oversees a company that is the only remaining manufacturer of commercial barber poles, in North America. Two Marvy barber poles are now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution.

Robert's sons Scott, Dan, and Brad have joined with their father to carry on the family tradition. All are actively involved in the daily operations of the business, putting special emphasis on the same kind of personal service that their grandfather offered. The father and sons team maintains a sizable parts inventory that makes it possible to restore nearly all barber poles made by any of the U.S. barber pole manufacturers.

The Marvy company founder, Bill Marvy left more than the legacy of an improved barber pole. In the early 1960s, he introduced a complete line of Steril-Ray Ultra Violet Sanitizers. A few years later Mar-V-Cide Disinfectant and Marvy Sanitizing Jars were introduced; names that would become industry standards known throughout the world.

Today, the Marvy Company specializes in disinfectant and sanitizing products for beauty and barber shops, and nail salons. These highly respected products include an entire family of Mar-V-Cide Disinfectants, Sanitizing Jars, and Steril-Ray Ultra Violet Sanitizing Cabinets.

Various sundry items are also included in the Marvy product line. If you are looking for neck dusters, shaving mugs, hairbrushes, and other assorted sundries; your search can end at William Marvy Company.

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 it displays.