Electric Stove, Kalamazoo Stove & Furnace Company, 1948-1950
The Kalamazoo Stove Company was founded in 1901 and grew quickly with the tagline of “A Kalamazoo Direct to You,” showing off the new option for consumers to purchase directly from the factory. By 1937, the company saw peak production, making 100,000 stoves, and using over 300,000 pounds of iron and steel each day. Beyond the direct-to-consumer model of sales, Kalamazoo Stove Company had an impact on the stove industry overall. Their oven door-mounted thermometers and glass windows (allowing views of the interior of the oven) were all innovations. During World War II the company manufactured aircraft landing gear mechanisms and tank armor plates, but their post-war road back to production was slow. This slowness was in part due to their lagging behind in the market in making gas and electric stoves, like this one. They closed their doors in 1952.
Object #2006.23.1