Simmons Hardware Company
brochure from 1880
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| Industry | Hardware |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1874 |
| Founder | Edward C. Simmons |
| Headquarters | St Louis, United States |
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Number of locations
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Six |
| Products | knives, saws ... |
The Simmons Hardware Company was a hardware manufacturer based in St. Louis with locations in six states.
The founder of the company was Edward C. Simmons, who started the company in 1874 and retired in 1898.
The founder's son, George Welch Simmons, started working his way up through the company in 1901, with a salary of $20 a week for driving trucks to the St. Louis warehouse. In 1904, he became the general manager and then later the vice-president of all the warehouses. Simmons was a Distinguished Successful Americans of his Day in 1912.
L. E. Crandall was originally working as part of the Churchill Hardware Company. After entering into a partnership with the Simmons Hardware Company, he became well known as a salesman by traveling through Illinois. Crandall became a sales manager at the St. Louis warehouse due to this reputation, later becoming General Sales Manager of all locations. His office was in New Haven, Connecticut.
The company's stock consisted of many items, including ammunition, knives, mincers, wires, and even dog collars. The defined its products saying, "If you can't eat it, and it don't pour or fold, it's hardware". Salesmen were employed to sell either all items or specific items.
Keen Kutter tools were manufactured be the company, and are now collectibles. The book Keen Kutter Planes lists over 800 items from the brand.
Most of the company's were companies which resulted in the net worth of these companies rising. A Sioux City warehouse was opened after the corporation bought out the stock of the Baker Hardware Company, which was located in the city. Their intention was to have the same quality in that location.
The company was involved in a legal case, titled "Simmons Hardware Co. v. City of St. Louis", that was heard by the Supreme Court of Missouri. The case was filed by the corporation to retrieve part of their payment on three taxes, which they paid in order to receive a merchant's license for the years of 1908 and 1909. Part of their payment of the sales tax, ad valorem tax, and the value added tax were thought by the company to be incorrect.
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