It all began in 1848 when German immigrant William Tollner opened up a modest hardware store at 221 Bowery. Tollner’s store became known for its high quality products, retailing some of the best mortise gauges, saw bummers, and plumb bobs … Continue reading →
It all began in 1848 when German immigrant William Tollner opened up a modest hardware store at 221 Bowery. Tollner’s store became known for its high quality products, retailing some of the best mortise gauges, saw bummers, and plumb bobs… Continue reading→
It all began in 1848 when German immigrant William Tollner opened up a modest hardware store at 221 Bowery. Tollner’s store became known for its high quality products, retailing some of the best mortise gauges, saw bummers, and plumb bobs in New York City.
Soon thereafter, Tollner’s twelve-year-old nephew, William Schlemmer, immigrated from Germany and took a job selling tools in front of the store. Beginning at $2 a week—half of which was sent home to his family—Schlemmer worked conscientiously and rose through the small company. During this time, fellow German immigrant and acquaintance of the family, Alfred Hammacher also sensed the potential in the small hardware store and invested $5,000 into the business.
In 1867, Alfred Hammacher and William Schlemmer bought the business from William Tollner, renaming it Hammacher & Schlemmer. Over time, the business saw brisk expansion. It outgrew the Bowery location in 1904 and moved to 133 4th Avenue, where it stayed until success again forced a relocation to 147 East 57th Street—where the flagship store still stands today.
What began as a modest immigrant-run hardware store in Lower Manhattan has grown into a national hardware store and catalog merchandiser with a number of firsts to its name. On the list of products introduced by Hammacher & Schlemmer—the pop-up toaster, the portable radio, the electric razor, and the microwave oven. For a look at the gadgets that might be our collective future, all one has to do is head inside this location, which the store has occupied for around 85 years.