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The A.A. Laun Furniture Company dates back to 1892 in Kiel, Wisconsin. Today our company continues to thrive in Kiel, a small community located midway between Green Bay and Milwaukee. Situated at the northern end of the Kettle Moraine, a scenic area of glacial hills and valleys, Kiel is surrounded by dairy farms and graced by the Sheboygan River which runs west to east on its way to Lake Michigan. This quintessential American small town today has a population of just 3,400 and no traffic lights.

On March 26, 1892 when Kiel’s population numbered only 900, 36 men and one woman met to incorporate the Kiel Manufacturing Company. Their objective was to provide work for people in the area who might otherwise have had to leave home because of the lack of employment opportunities. Woodworking was a natural choice because of the abundance of good lumber in the state as well as the cabinet-making skills possessed by many of the town’s early German settlers.

The original factory building, measuring 120 feet by 56 feet, was quickly built and put into operation. Early stockholders faced the challenge of The Panic of 1893, a major depression which caused many businesses to close, and most chose to drop their support of the company. Those who remained, including J.B. Laun, who became the company president, invested more money to help the company survive.
In 1907, the company changed its name to the Kiel Furniture Company, to more closely identify itself with its products. Three years later, the company acquired the B. A. Kipp Company in Milwaukee and began operating out of two plants. In 1912, A.A. Laun joined his oldest brother, J.B., in the business and moved to Milwaukee to oversee the operations in the former Kipp plant. He became the vice president and general manager in 1916. During the 1920s, the company grew tremendously, with large plant additions at both locations. While the Kiel facility focused on smaller occasional pieces as it does today, the Milwaukee plant pioneered the manufacture and sale of complete dining room suites. Kiel Furniture products were made with oak, mahogany, and walnut.

In the late 1920s, the Kiel Furniture Company patented the Kiel Radio Table, an important innovation. It had the outward appearance of a regular occasional table, with only the small tuning dials hinting at the radio and speaker concealed inside. The Kiel Radio Table linked the company’s name with the famous Atwater Kent Screen-Grid Radio as thousands were sold. But order cancellations came in even faster during the great Crash of 1929, and what had appeared to be an important growth opportunity for the company turned into a liability.
The Milwaukee plant was closed in 1932 and all operations were brought back to Kiel. In 1935, the present corporation, formed by A.A. Laun and supported by a community group, took possession of the Kiel factory and continued operations, changing the name to A. A. Laun Furniture Co. The company still offered almost 400 different tables, most ranging in price from $13 to $40. Small radio cabinets were made for Erla Radios of Chicago in the late 1930’s. Oak dinettes were another popular item, but a shortage of lumber during World War II forced the company to concentrate on living room tables, which has always been its specialty.

In the late 1940s and 1950s, A. A. Laun Furniture Co. became widely known as a leading proponent of modern design. The Modern Collection began with less then 30 pieces and was available in two finish choices. By the mid-1950s the Modern Collection had expanded to over 50 pieces, some available in four finish choices, in a price range of $23 to $50.

In 1945, A.A. Laun died and his son Alfred A. Laun, Jr. became president of the company. Upon Alfred’s death in 1964, his brother, John H. Laun succeeded him.

In the 1960s and 1970s A. A. Laun concentrated on Early American, Country, French Provincial, Italian and Mediterranean styles in pine, elm, and maple. By 1962, the company was making over 100 tables in six different styles and tables featuring storage behind doors or in drawers became popular. In 1969, the older son of John H. Laun, Jonathan P. Laun, joined the company as purchasing agent and later became sales manager. Upon the death of his father in 1976, Jonathan became president of the company.

The mid-1980s and early 1990s saw the resurgence of solid oak furniture. While the popularity of oak and its beautiful grain character continues today, there is now an equal interest in solid maple and our contemporary designs which emphasize cleaner lines and less grain character. A. A. Laun’s interest in quality and innovation has led to solid maple English dovetailed drawer boxes and premium slides being incorporated into newer designs as a standard feature. And to accommodate popular flat screen TV’s, entertainment consoles have become a very important part of our product line.
Today A. A. Laun provides up to date designs in a wide range of styles and finishes. We are known as a leader and innovator of functional furniture and unusual accent pieces. Currently, we are expanding our selection of wood finishes and adding antique color paints and glazing options. While oak and maple are the staple woods of today’s furniture lines, A. A. Laun remembers its past traditions with cherry, ash, elm, walnut, mahogany, white pine, and other American hardwoods. We are also striving to include more sustainable wood options in our line.

Since our beginning in 1892 and through the ups and downs of good times, depressions and war, A. A. Laun has provided steady employment for the people of Kiel. What the next 100 years, or even the next decade, will bring is difficult to predict. One thing remains constant, however: as long as the A. A. Laun Furniture Co. name goes on the product, it will continue to be synonymous with quality craftsmanship and tradition that is Made in America.

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