The Randahl Shop

American, active 1911–1965

PlaceChicago, Illinois, United States

Biographyhttp://www.chicagosilver.com/jor.htm

While the Kalo Shop produced the largest amount of Arts & Crafts silver, two other makers had fairly sizable outputs -- Lebolt and Randahl. Julius O. Randahl was a Swedish silversmith who worked at the Kalo Shop from 1907 to 1910, important Park Ridge years when Kalo was growing quickly and creating some of its best work. After leaving, Randahl and another ex-Kalo silversmith, Matthias Hanck, formed a shop called the Julmat (from the first syllables from each of their names), which lasted just one year. After this short-lived store closed, Hanck opened a small shop in Park Ridge specializing in jewelry (see below). Randahl founded the Randahl Shop, probably inspired by the Kalo model, with one important difference -- Randahl sold his holloware through department stores and jewelry shops rather than just from his storefront.

The Shop closed during the first World War, and when Randahl re-opened it he introduced mechanization. While some work was still done the old way, it was no longer a pure handwrought operation like Kalo. Randahl arranged for national distribution, and soon had 15 - 20 workers producing his holloware. The Shop did well enough to weather the Depression years (although Randahl had to mortgage his home) and prospered into the 1950's, when Randahl, now in business with his sons as the Randahl Company, purchased Cellini Craft, an Evanston, IL silversmith dating back to 1914. Finally, in 1965, the business was sold to Reed & Barton.

Person TypeInstitution