The B. Lackamp & Sons Company was established by Bernard J. Lackamp (1859-1947) to manufacture window shades and blinds in Cleveland, Ohio. Bernard Lackamp arrived in Cleveland from Germany in 1882 and established a dry goods store at 1950 St. Clair Avenue, NE. In later years he operated additional stores on Superior and on Wade Park Avenue. In 1918, he started a window and sash company located at 10539 St. Clair Avenue, NE which became B. Lackamp & Sons Company in 1919 when he formed a partnership with his sons August (1885-1961) and Leo (1896-1981). The company manufactured window treatment for both windows, French doors, and sun rooms. By the mid-1920s, the Lackamps were nationally known, with Leo Lackamp serving as secretary-treasurer of the National Association of Window Shade Manufacturers of America. The firm was in operation until around 1971.
The B. Lackamp & Sons Company Records, 1919-1936, consist of inventory and financial balance sheets.
The collection will be of interest to researchers of successful manufacturing companies, particularly of consumer goods, operating in Cleveland, Ohio, during the early to mid-20th century. Monthly and annual cost and expense reports prepared by the owners will be of interest to finance, economic, and accounting students, as well as those looking at how companies survived during the Great Depression. Interior design and textile researchers will find valuable information within inventory listings detailing the types and costs of materials used in window shades, blinds, and other window treatments of the era. Marketing students, particularly those looking at the late 1920s will be interested in the sales promotional material that was used as stationary for the 1929 balance sheet report.
Overall, the material in the collection illustrates the financial health of a company operating during both a period of economic growth and decline in United States history.
The collection is arranged by document type and then chronologically.
Processed by Robert Suriano in 2017.
None.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 5399 B. Lackamp & Sons Company Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Gift of J. Jerome Lackamp in 1996.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.