Charles A. Rose

One of the oldest printers in Camden, Charles A. Rose, continued to come in regularly every day to work at his printing shop at 131 Federal Street. Mr. Rose was 76 in 1933 and had been in the printing business all his life. His father was also a printer and when a youth Mr. Rose ran a press in a Philadelphia print shop which had been operated by his deceased father.

Twenty-three years prior (in 1910) Mr. Rose started the Mercantile Printing House on Third Street above Arch. Three years later he moved to his location at 131 Federal Street. Mr. Rose was superintendent of the printing department of the Victor Talking Machine Co. prior to opening his own shop. He started business with a little hand press and by 1933 had one of the most modern plants of its size in the region.

Equipped with five presses, Mr. Rose was able to turn out most any kind of a printing job in the minimum of time. Most of the work done by the Mercantile Printing House was for concerns for whom the firm had done printing for many years. These included local stores, banks, offices, manufacturing plants and other business establishments. The quality of the work done by Mr. Rose was so well known that he usually managed to keep busy all year round, as he had for many years. Raised printing was a specialty of the plant.

Mr. Rose was assisted in the management of the shop by his son-in-law, Merrill N. O’Brien, who was general manager. Mr. O’Brien had been associated with Mr. Rose since 1922.