There are two types of charge: + positive and - negative.
An uncharged material has equal numbers of both so the material is balanced out.
Friction between materials caused an exchange of charges.
The negative charges move but positive stay where they are.
Once a material is charged it will attract materials with the opposite charge and repel materials that have the same charge.
An example of static electricity in industry is when painting cars. The car body is charged evenly and the paint is prayed on. The paint particles are attracted to the car and spread out because of the charge. This ensures the car is painted evenly.