Merchant and silver manufacturer Baldwin Gardiner was the younger brother of Sidney Gardiner, who rose to prominence as a silversmith in partnership with Thomas Fletcher. Baldwin first worked with the partners in Boston and moved with them to Philadelphia in 1811. Possibly, with the partners’ help, Baldwin established a new fancy hardware firm in Philadelphia. By 1817, he was in business with his brother-in-law Lewis Vernon in the firm of Gardiner, Vernon & Co., retailing goods such as plated ware, cutlery, glass, ceramics, and lamps. 

By September of 1826, Gardiner, Vernon & Co. was dissolved, and Baldwin Gardiner moved to New York, where he continued to retail ornaments such as French gilt plateaus, candelabra, and lamps. He also filled special orders for silverware. By 1831, Baldwin Gardiner established a silver manufactory of his own and in 1832 advertised in New York as a manufacturer of silverware, though he continued to retail goods made by others.