Tyler Anbinder examines the remarkable industrial success of Phelan and Collender, who mass-produced high-quality billiard tables. Their innovation in table cushions led to a dominant market position, and they famously gifted a custom gold-ornamented ta

Tyler Anbinder examines the remarkable industrial success of Phelan and Collender, who mass-produced high-quality billiard tables. Their innovation in table cushions led to a dominant market position, and they famously gifted a custom gold-ornamented table to Ulysses S. Grant. Their massive factory on 10th Avenue symbolized the pinnacle of Irishentrepreneurial achievement. Anbinder concludes by debunking the myth that the famine Irish were permanently stuck in poverty. His research reveals they were a highly ambitious and determined group who successfully utilized networking and grit to climb the socioeconomic ladder in the United States. (8)
1861 CHURCH STREET