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The depth and narrowness of some early closets challenged their usefulness as rods with hangers became the preferred method for storing more formal garments. The Knape & Vogt Manufacturing Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan addressed this problem by producing telescoping rod fixtures or "carriers" that could be inserted into deep closets - existing or new. Advertisements for their "Nu Way Garment Carriers" appeared in Good Housekeeping magazine throughout 1919 and the company featured their "Garment Care System" in a series of ads that ran throughout 1920. The ads promised that use of these particular carrier rods would better preserve the form and condition of articles of clothing (which stretched destructively when hung on hooks) by allowing the use of hangers and by improving ventilation for clothing. They also pledged that the use of a telescoping rod would minimize required closet space by maximizing capacity and that it would help establish order in the household by encouraging children to hang up their clothes. Most ads demonstrated the ease with which the rod could be installed by depicting a female servant attaching it to a closet's interior.
