Meet the Maker: H. Gerstner & Sons

We’ve always taken great pride in working with small manufacturers and individual makers—true craftspeople whose devotion to their trade is evident in the quality of their work. For this series, we’re spotlighting some of our longtime (and more recent) makers. You’d recognize the traditional wooden tool chests made by H. Gerstner & Sons from a mile away, and we’re proud of our longstanding partnership with this century-old American success story.

Of all the businesses and makers we work with, H. Gerstner & Sons has to be one of the most iconic. With a storied legacy nearing its thirteenth decade, their signature chests are instantly recognizable, with a sterling reputation to match their peerless construction.

Way back in 1906, Harry Gerstner was just 22 years old, and things were looking up. He’d just earned a whopping $100 bonus upon completing a four-year woodworking apprenticeship, having previously earned just six cents per hour. He’d made a wooden tool chest as a side project in his free time, and a friend was so taken by its design and construction that he asked Gerstner to make another. As it turned out, even more people liked Harry’s chests, so much so that he decided to invest his windfall in himself and his new business. The decision paid off.

Today, 117 years later, H. Gerstner & Sons is still making wooden chests based on Harry’s original designs. It’s the only company of its age and provenance still making them. Those sons in the company name never did materialize, though—the moniker was aspirational, and perhaps a bit of showmanship—though his sons-in-law played a vital role in expanding and upholding the company’s presence. And it remains a family company through and through.

”My brother and I, we were paid a penny apiece to stuff envelopes for mailers and stuff like that when we were little kids,” explains Kim Campbell Brown, Harry Gerstner’s great granddaughter and Gerstner’s vice president of sales & marketing. (Her grandfather, John A. Campbell, married Harry’s eldest daughter, Charlotte, eventually becoming the company’s vice-president.) “I’ve actually worked throughout the factory, so I can I can work a good chunk of the machinery that's there and take some of [the chests] from start to finish. Every once in a while they'll pull me back—you know, ‘Hey, we need somebody to make drawers for the day!’“

That line of continuity has enabled the company to maintain its exacting standards. The wood—oak, cherry, and walnut—is all personally selected, and every coat of finish is applied by hand when applicable. (Walnut chests are not stained, to better allow the wood’s natural patina to develop.) Drawers are planed and fitted by hand to make sure everything fits perfectly. And those drawers are, as always, cushioned and lined with felt to protect even the most delicate items. Because of this, more than a few tool chests have been “commandeered” through the years.

“For the longest time, we didn't make jewelry chests,” Campbell Brown says. “Then somebody said, ‘My wife stole my tool chest and is using it as jewelry chest!’” It’s a common tale. Other frequent uses include storage for knife collections and watchmaking supplies. It’s the storage option of choice for people who care as deeply about presentation as they do preservation.

And then there are more … personal storage concerns.

”A family in the past had gotten together—their father always wanted a Gerstner chest,” Campbell Brown recalls. ”Poor guy never got it when he was alive, but they wanted to have us custom-make a mock-up chest that they can put his ashes in.” (She adds that her own father’s remains are in a custom Gerstner case as well.)

It’s obvious that Gerstner customers tend to develop an attachment to their chests, and for good reason. “These items are passed from generation to generation,” she adds. ”They are heirloom quality.”

Gerstner also has a thriving restoration and refurbishment department, ensuring that those precious family heirlooms will remain in use for generations to come.

While tradition is vital to the Gerstner identity, they have introduced some newer items, including an Aficionado Travel Bar that holds liquor bottles, cigars, playing cards—anything you need for a classy night in or out. Budget-minded and/or crafty Gerstner fans can even purchase a DIY kit to build their own chest or tool tote with unfinished, pre-cut pieces and a complete hardware set.

In the end, the folks at Gerstner are deeply proud of their heritage and their commitment to keeping the company operating at a genuine, human level.

“In this day and age, nine times out of ten, if you call our company, you're going to get a live person that answers the phone,” Campbell Brown says. ”If not, you get a flat-out answering machine and we call you back. We're not interested in funneling everybody into what I like to call ’voicemail hell.’ The only robot they'll get is actually my brother's voice on the recording saying, ’You've called after hours,’ or. ’I’m sorry, we're already on the phone and we'll get back to you as quick as we can.’”

We’ve always taken great pride in working with small manufacturers and individual makers—true craftspeople whose devotion to their trade is evident in the quality of their work. For this series, we’re spotlighting some of our longtime (and more recent) makers. You’d recognize the traditional wooden tool chests made by H. Gerstner & Sons from a mile away, and we’re proud of our longstanding partnership with this century-old American success story.

Of all the businesses and makers we work with, H. Gerstner & Sons has to be one of the most iconic. With a storied legacy nearing its thirteenth decade, their signature chests are instantly recognizable, with a sterling reputation to match their peerless construction.

Way back in 1906, Harry Gerstner was just 22 years old, and things were looking up. He’d just earned a whopping $100 bonus upon completing a four-year woodworking apprenticeship, having previously earned just six cents per hour. He’d made a wooden tool chest as a side project in his free time, and a friend was so taken by its design and construction that he asked Gerstner to make another. As it turned out, even more people liked Harry’s chests, so much so that he decided to invest his windfall in himself and his new business. The decision paid off.

Today, 117 years later, H. Gerstner & Sons is still making wooden chests based on Harry’s original designs. It’s the only company of its age and provenance still making them. Those sons in the company name never did materialize, though—the moniker was aspirational, and perhaps a bit of showmanship—though his sons-in-law played a vital role in expanding and upholding the company’s presence. And it remains a family company through and through.

”My brother and I, we were paid a penny apiece to stuff envelopes for mailers and stuff like that when we were little kids,” explains Kim Campbell Brown, Harry Gerstner’s great granddaughter and Gerstner’s vice president of sales & marketing. (Her grandfather, John A. Campbell, married Harry’s eldest daughter, Charlotte, eventually becoming the company’s vice-president.) “I’ve actually worked throughout the factory, so I can I can work a good chunk of the machinery that's there and take some of [the chests] from start to finish. Every once in a while they'll pull me back—you know, ‘Hey, we need somebody to make drawers for the day!’“

That line of continuity has enabled the company to maintain its exacting standards. The wood—oak, cherry, and walnut—is all personally selected, and every coat of finish is applied by hand when applicable. (Walnut chests are not stained, to better allow the wood’s natural patina to develop.) Drawers are planed and fitted by hand to make sure everything fits perfectly. And those drawers are, as always, cushioned and lined with felt to protect even the most delicate items. Because of this, more than a few tool chests have been “commandeered” through the years.

“For the longest time, we didn't make jewelry chests,” Campbell Brown says. “Then somebody said, ‘My wife stole my tool chest and is using it as jewelry chest!’” It’s a common tale. Other frequent uses include storage for knife collections and watchmaking supplies. It’s the storage option of choice for people who care as deeply about presentation as they do preservation.

And then there are more … personal storage concerns.

”A family in the past had gotten together—their father always wanted a Gerstner chest,” Campbell Brown recalls. ”Poor guy never got it when he was alive, but they wanted to have us custom-make a mock-up chest that they can put his ashes in.” (She adds that her own father’s remains are in a custom Gerstner case as well.)

It’s obvious that Gerstner customers tend to develop an attachment to their chests, and for good reason. “These items are passed from generation to generation,” she adds. ”They are heirloom quality.”

Gerstner also has a thriving restoration and refurbishment department, ensuring that those precious family heirlooms will remain in use for generations to come.

While tradition is vital to the Gerstner identity, they have introduced some newer items, including an Aficionado Travel Bar that holds liquor bottles, cigars, playing cards—anything you need for a classy night in or out. Budget-minded and/or crafty Gerstner fans can even purchase a DIY kit to build their own chest or tool tote with unfinished, pre-cut pieces and a complete hardware set.

In the end, the folks at Gerstner are deeply proud of their heritage and their commitment to keeping the company operating at a genuine, human level.

“In this day and age, nine times out of ten, if you call our company, you're going to get a live person that answers the phone,” Campbell Brown says. ”If not, you get a flat-out answering machine and we call you back. We're not interested in funneling everybody into what I like to call ’voicemail hell.’ The only robot they'll get is actually my brother's voice on the recording saying, ’You've called after hours,’ or. ’I’m sorry, we're already on the phone and we'll get back to you as quick as we can.’”