User:Indy beetle/Dr. Grabow

Dr. Grabow is an American brand of tobacco pipes.

History
In 1944, D&P Pipe Works opened a factory in Sparta, North Carolina. Staffed by 65 employees and powered by a generator situation on the Little River, the plant made 1,000 pipes a week. Difficulties related to the harvesting of laurel burls and the resumption of global trade after the end of the war led the company to switch back to pipe production with briarwood.

The company experienced a boom in demand in 1964 after the U.S. Surgeon General issued a warning about health risks related to the smoking of cigarettes, leading to increased interest in pipes. In 1969, the company was acquired by U.S. Tobacco Company.

In 1978, the company moved most of its manufacturing operation out of its original building to a new facility. Health concerns regarding tobacco smoking led to a decline in demand for pipes in the late 20th century.

U.S. Tobacco sold the operation to Lane Limited in 1997. Lane Limited sold the company in 2006 to International Pipes & Accessories. The process of "pre-smoking" the pipes was discontinued after employees decided that it had no discernable impact upon the pipes.

Operations
The International Pipes & Accessories facility is located at 1731 U.S. Route 21 in Sparta. The plant produces smoking pipes and pipe filters.