The company began by offering essential packaging supplies like brown wrapping paper, tying twine, and bags to merchants in Seattle’s Pike Place Market and International District. From the beginning, RA worked closely with a dedicated team to meet customer demands. Notably, his wife, Amelia, and a trusted colleague actively contributed to the business, playing pivotal roles in shaping the customer-centric focus that continues to guide us today.
RA Abrams’ reputation and example became the platform for years of growth and success as the company grew and evolved. What started as a small three-person business making deliveries out of the back of a Ford Model A is now a thriving local-focused wholesale distributor serving customers across the Pacific Northwest, Northern California, and Alaska with over 200 vehicles on the road daily. We have grown to support the families of hundreds of employees, located throughout our 14 warehouse locations and three manufacturing facilities. With all this growth, we continue operating as RA Abrams did – offering quality products at reasonable prices and great customer service.
The products and services we offer customers have grown significantly since our beginning in Pike’s Place Market. Over the years, we have shifted and expanded from brown wrapping paper and twine and developed extensive expertise in fine printing paper and envelopes, boxes and custom packaging solutions, facility and janitorial supplies, food service products, and equipment services and solutions.
In 2020, we celebrated our 90th anniversary, as the third-generation leader, Teresa Russell, stewards the company’s operations, growth, and culture. Looking forward with a vision for continued success at 100 years and beyond, we invite you to experience working with our team and hope you choose WCP for your order today and as your preferred supplier for tomorrow.
Celebrating over 90 years in business. Here at WCP, we are tremendously excited to celebrate this milestone alongside our employees, our customers, our suppliers, and our friends and to reflect both on the past of our company, as well as looking to the future.
The Thorniley Collection of Antique Type was curated by William O. Thorniley (Bill), who developed a lifelong passion for type and printing since receiving a small printing press as a child for Christmas. Bill’s extensive travels across the United States enabled him to amass a diverse collection of type, including pre-Civil War fonts from the Deep South and Gold Rush-era fonts from California. His print shop in his basement further fueled his enthusiasm for letterpress type into a lifelong hobby.
In 1975, R.W. (Dick) Abrams purchased the collection, with both Dick and Bill sharing a vision of preserving it in Seattle as an educational resource for the local graphics and arts communities. The collection remained in Bill’s possession until his death in 1979. It was then moved to the West Coast Paper office in Kent, WA. The collection eventually found a new home at Pacific Lutheran University in 2017, where it was donated to continue the education of students about the history and importance of printing and typography, leaving a lasting legacy in the graphic arts community.
Bill Thorniley probably never realized how far-reaching and influential his hobby of letterpress printing would become. Today, it still inspires those in the graphic arts community and is actively used by students.