Vintage Fridays: Engstrom Tool Makers Sign
One of my favorite wall pieces that we sell in the Brooklyn Art Library is this vintage, handmade, wooden tool makers sign. I love it for its imperfect type, and slight punctuational error. It has a high relief, with hand-carved wooden letters. I like to imagine where this might have originally come from…
I couldn’t find any information about Engstrom Inc. tool makers, but I was curious about what a store might look like with this type of sign out front. I stumbled upon this article which talks about Superior Berger’s Hardware store, which was kept in almost the same original shape as when it was opened in 1915, up until 1999.
According to the article, the owner Same Berger (pictured) used to say, “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it.”
Sadly, Superior Berger’s Hardware store eventually closed, and all of the inventory was auctioned off. I can only imagine the mounds of vintage ephemera, tools, and supplies you could have found on the shelves from the original opening.
For more information about the Engstrom Tool Makers sign, please visit our shop here.
The photo and information about Sam Berger and his store was sourced from the News Tribune Attic.
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