Hammacher Schlemmer history

In 1859, family friend Albert Hammacher invested $5,000 in the company and the name was changed to C. Tollner and A. Hammacher.

When Tollner died in 1867, 26-year-old Schlemmer entered into a partnership with Hammacher and Peter F. Taaks.

And, in 1878, the store was listed among the initial 271 subscribers in the first New York City telephone directory.

The company published its first catalog in 1881, and took its present name two years later.

In 1912, it printed its largest catalog to date, spanning 1,112 pages.

Riedel, Ernest C, Seventy-Five Years of Constant Growth: Hammacher, Schlemmer & Co., New York: Robert L. Stillson Co., 1923.

Hammacher Schlemmer began prominently featuring new inventions in their catalog in the 1930s, beginning with the first pop-up toaster and portable radio in 1930.

In 1948, Hammacher Schlemmer celebrated its 100-year anniversary with the introduction of the first automatic steam iron and the electric broom.

Ownership of the company finally left the Schlemmer family in 1953, passing onto a series of corporate owners.

Dominic Tampone, who had joined the cataloger as a stock boy at the age of 15, worked his way up to president of the company in 1959.

In 1960, Gerald sold Hammacher Schlemmer to the Kayser-Roth Corporation.

Dominic Tampone, who joined the company as a stock boy at age 15, was named President of Hammacher Schlemmer in 1962.

In 1983, J. Roderick MacArthur created the Hammacher Schlemmer Institute as an independent but affiliated branch of the company, whose purpose is to comparatively test leading products.

In 1984, the company opened its first store outside of New York, on Chicago's famed North Michigan Avenue.

In 1988, Hammacher Schlemmer became one of the first retailers to sell products over the Internet with CompuServe, the first major commercial online service in the United States.

In 1995, America Online built Hammacher Schlemmer a store on the Internet.

Instead of touting brand or manufacturer names in its catalogs, Hammacher Schlemmer emphasizes quality by highlighting products that win its "Best" rating. "Bests" and "Firsts" in 1997 catalogs ranged from the "Best Nose Hair Trimmer," at $19.95, and the "First Flat Panel Television" for $25,000.

Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 1998, Hammacher Schlemmer & Company publishes America’s longest-running mail-order catalog.

By 2005, online sales accounted for one-third of company revenues.

By 2014, they sold Hammacher Schlemmer to the company's employees.