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After the Civil War, in 1880, Jacob Kornmeyer relocated his store to a new building on St. Ferdinand Street which marked the official beginning of the J. Kornmeyer Furniture House, the first furniture store in Baton Rouge. Thirteen years later, Jacob's daughter married a salesman-handy man by the name of Julius Andrew Bahlinger.
In 1966, the Bahlingers opened a second location on Florida Boulevard with 60,000 square feet of space including 13 show windows where furnishings could be displayed for the public to view any time of the day or night. As the years passed and the city experienced a general expansion away from the downtown area, the Florida Boulevard location proved to be the more successful location. As a result, the original St. Ferdinand location was closed in 1982. One year later, the Florida Boulevard store was remodeled with an exciting new gallery design featuring over 70 rooms where the furnishings could be creatively displayed in more realistic settings - the gallery you see today when you shop Kornmeyer's. In the same year, a 37,000 square foot Distribution Center and warehouse were added for ultimate efficiency and increased storage. After many years of service to the Company, Marion Bahlinger and Peter Bahlinger retired from their management positions in January 1990, and Frederick Bahlinger, Jr. retired from his management position in July 1997. However, Marion, Peter, and Frederick remain actively involved in the company as members of the Board of Directors. Today, Kornmeyer's is lead by Harold Bahlinger, Sr. as president, Rose Mary Williams as executive vice president /general manager, and a six-member management team which includes a member of the family's fifth generation, Harold Bahlinger, Jr. As Baton Rouge's premier furniture retailer, Kornmeyer's has always had an intense commitment to community interest, goodwill and contribution. In the early 1900's, when the city was struck with epidemics of Yellow Fever and Influenza, Kornmeyer's dedicated its delivery wagons to providing bedding and supplies for the sick. Today, Kornmeyer's continues this community involvement with various contributions "in kind" to numerous area organizations including the Cancer Society of Greater Baton Rouge, the Association for Retarded Citizens, United Way, several area churches and schools and many more. Kornmeyer's is also proud to have participated in the annual "Home for the Holidays" program. Created by Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Warrick Dunn, this program provides new homes and new furnishings for underprivileged families in our city. In 1880, the Kornmeyer Furniture Company was built on a strong foundation of customer service and satisfaction. Over the past 12 decades, the Company has continued to expand on that same foundation to become a historic landmark in the Baton Rouge community. Today, the time-honored tradition of dependable service continues with the hard work and dedication of the Company's many loyal employees. |
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The
history of Kornmeyer's dates back to July 25, 1824, when Jacob Kornmeyer
was born in Zell-Am-Harmersback, Baden, Germany. At the age of 25, young
Jacob made the long journey to America. After a short stay in St. Louis,
he arrived in Baton Rouge where he opened a general merchandise store
on Main Street in 1859. Although the store handled practically every type
of merchandise, Jacob always had a greater interest in furniture. It was
his love for furniture which prompted him later to go into the furniture
business exclusively.
In
1885, Jacob turned over most of the business duties to Julius. As was
the custom of the day, the Bahlinger family home was located above the
store, and it was here that four children were born: Andrew, Fred, Gertrude
and Julia. As the family business thrived, Andrew and Fred became co-managers
of the store. The two Bahlinger sons continued to manage the store into
the late 1950's. It was at this time that Andrew's sons, Marion and Harold,
and Fred's sons, Peter and Fred, Jr., began taking on active rolls in
managing the business.