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History of Jasper Cabinet Company
On February 23, 1904, a steam saw mill and planning
mill, located between Jackson and Mill streets at Second Street in Jasper,
Indiana, was purchased by Schaaf & Schnaus. Besides being a saw mill, the
operation dealt in rough and dressed lumber, sash doors, siding, frames,
paints, oils, lime, cement and builder’s hardware. The business furnished
much of the materials used in the construction of the homes and mercantile
buildings in early Jasper, Indiana.
The firm operated as Schaaf & Schnaus until 1928 and
contracted, built and manufactured furniture products of all kinds. On
February 2, 1928, the name was changed to the Jasper Cabinet Company.
Shortly after incorporation, the Jasper sales representatives were hired and
through their efforts, the company gained national prominence.
During the 1930’s, Jasper Cabinet made some outstanding
furniture that remained in the line for decades: the breakfront, the
secretary and the desk. The son-in-law of Alois Schaaf, Bill Fritch,
patented a typewriter desk that also had great success.
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In the 40’s, the War set things back, as a shortage of
materials caused the product line to be limited and quality declined. But
in the 50’s, Jasper became a leader again with a wide range of products like
cellarets, desks, breakfronts, secretaries, and chests. It was during this
time that Jasper developed crowned glass with the help of two men, Gene
Colas and Benny Balin.
Also, during this time, Jasper Cabinet developed the
ability to do multiple finishes and decorator colors. Since 1954, in-house
artisans hand painted furniture decorations, creating truly personalized
furniture.
In the 1960’s, Jasper developed a gun cabinet without
the aid of a designer. It later became the most copied piece of furniture
Jasper ever made. The gun cabinet was later developed into a display
cabinet and the curio cabinet was born. Also, during the 60’s the flat top
desk was developed into a roll-top desk with a smooth roll curtain that
would not be a dust collector.
A New York investment company, G.L. Ohrstrom & Company,
purchased Jasper Cabinet Company in 1972. Jasper Cabinet was part of a
group of furniture companies known as Dorset Corporation. They held the
business until 1986 when it was acquired by Avenir Group, Inc. Avenir
Group, Inc., due to a crippling strike in 1999 from which it never fully
recovered, closed its doors in October of 2002. In July of 2005, Jasper
Cabinet was restarted with our present line as shown under Products.
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Jasper Cabinet Company developed into one of the fine
furniture factories in the country. Jasper Cabinet was recognized as the
leader in its field and the innovator of many of the fine features of
American made furniture.
Jasper Cabinet was the world’s leading producer of top
quality secretaries, curio cabinets, desks, entertainment furniture, gun
cabinets, chests, and other accent furniture.
Jasper Cabinet is a custom manufacturer, offering a
wide variety of finishes, hand-decorating, wood species, decorative veneers
and other options. For many companies accent is a sideline and not very
important. For Jasper Cabinet Company, accent is everything.
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