Goldberg Brothers Tinners, 2022

The Goldberg Brothers story began in 1897 when Russian immigrants Simon Goldberg and his sons, Louis and Nathan, opened a tinsmith shop in Denver, Colorado. Joined later by siblings William and Jacob, the family business grew into Goldberg Brothers’ Wholesale Hardware and Tinners Supply, one of the largest sheet metal and hardware manufacturers and wholesale distributors in the western United States. By the 1930s, the company made or sold a vast assortment of products ranging from door handles and locks to wash tubs and coal furnaces.

The Goldbergs started their most famous product line in 1913, supplying the fledgling silent film industry with film reels, shipping boxes and related hardware. Although just a sideline at first, their film-related supplies went on to become their most successful venture. In 1940, Goldberg Brothers signed a license agreement to manufacture film reels under the Eastman Kodak brand, setting the stage for the company to become the world’s leading supplier of film reels for both the professional and amateur markets.

During World War II, the company became a major supplier of film reels and related products for the U.S. Army Signal Corps as well as a manufacturer of other vital war materials for both the U.S. and Canadian military. The company employed about one hundred workers in 1944, when an accidental fire destroyed its Walnut Street factory. Determined to carry on, the Goldberg Brothers temporarily moved manufacturing operations to their smaller Blake Street offices while they made plans to rebuild.