Arthur George (A. G.) Gaston (1892-1996)

Born on July 4, 1892, in Demopolis, Alabama, A. G. Gaston became one of the most successful African American business owners in Alabama. Gaston overcame humble beginnings and racial discrimination to build a $40 million business empire, which included a savings and loan bank, business college, construction company, motel, real estate business, burial insurance company, two cemeteries, and two radio stations and most notably his only failed business venture was a soft-drink company he founded.

In 1938, the Brown Belle Bottling Company was a soft-drink manufacturer and bottler founded by A.G. Gaston. Most popular beverages such as “Browne Belle Boogie” and “Joe Louis Punch” name after boxing champion Joe Louis were distributed thru Brown Belle. Gasons son Arthur Gaston Jr. helped to manage the bottling facility that was located at 1615 4th Avenue North in Birmingham. As part of Gason’s business deals, bottling equipment was borrowed from the Buffalo Rock Bottling company as part of shared profits. The shared bottling deal with Buffalo Rock was kept confidential in order to cover up Buffalo Rock for being known as helping out a “black company”.

In order to market his Brown Belle brand, Gason hosted a “Miss Brown Belle” contest of brown-skinned beauties painted on the side of his delivery trucks. Being a black owned company, Brown Belle struggle with both finding retail outlets to sell his sodas and also struggles with finding supplies such as sugar in order to produce his sodas. After the office safe was stolen from the company, many records were lost including the trademark records. Due to $60,000 in debts, in 1950 Gaston was forced to close the business in order to pay off creditors.

In the aftermath of the legend of A.G. Gaston and the Brown Belle Bottling company, we can find several great soda artifacts in the market today.

Sources: https://www.al.com/businessnews/2010/11/soft_drink_relics_reveal_a_bla.html

http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-

Dr. A.G. Gaston- “The Entrepreneur of the Century” https://worthjourney.com/2015/02/19/306/

Black Titan: A. G. Gaston and the Making of a Black American Millionaire https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345453476/?tag=indinst-tir-20

Below are some pictures of the Brown Belle bottles in my collection

Gason in front of his Hotel in Birmingham where Martin Luther King Jr. visited

Worker in the Brown-Belle Bottling Facility

1615 4th Avenue North, Birmingham. As it looks today. (White Building on right)

Percy James (-1965)

Born in Opelousas, Louisiana, Percy James became a successful African American business owner in Oklahoma City, OK. In the early 1920s Percy James and his wife Hattie started a soda bottling company named Afri-Cola which was later renamed as Jay-Kola in 1935. It was noted in a later interview from James’s daughter that her father opened his bottling plant on the advice of the Oklahoma Coca-Cola Bottling Company which did not deliver to the black business section in Oklahoma City.

James Jay-Kola produced several carbonated drinks such as root beer and other fruit flavors. In 1931, James expanded his interest in the black community and purchased a theater and reopened it as the Jewel Theatre. As of today, there are continual efforts with restoring the Jewel theatre. In addition to the theatre, Percy James Jay Kola sponsored an Oklahoma City negro baseball team know as the Jay-Kola Giants.

In 1963, James retired for noted health reasons which in effect ended the Jay-Kola franchise. Two years later Percy James died on November 2, 1965 in Oklahoma City.

In the aftermath of the legend of Percy James and the Jay-Kola Bottling company, we can find several great soda artifacts today. The Jay-Kola soda bottles are noted to be very scarce and of great value today.

Sources:

Oklahoma Historical Society: Jay Kola:

https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=JA015

A Jewel in the Rough (Jewel Theatre

https://www.news9.com/story/5e35ae2483eff40362beb226/Covering%20The%20Capitol%20Unemployment%20Issues

Spiritually Bold:

http://www.findglocal.com/US/Oklahoma-City/1447589308893971/Spiritually-Bold-Inc.

Below is a picture of a Jay Kola bottle in my collection

Percy James at his Jay Kola Bottling Plant

In conclusion, I hope you enjoyed reading this article and feedback is always appreciated

Happy Collecting, Tom