Our History | Kieffer's Appliance

1917

The Beginning

100 years of serving the Delaware Valley, our family-owned business has humble roots. On October 1, 1917, John E. Kieffer, Sr. founded a tire store, The Girard Rubber Co. in Philadelphia. Perhaps to make ends meet as the tire business grew; John Sr. delivered blocks of ice for cooling residential iceboxes.

By 1922, the electric refrigerator was introduced and the ice business became risky. Seeing the trend, John Sr. sought to capitalize on the new craze for appliances. The Grono & Crosley refrigerator, the RCA and Philco Battery Crystal Radio sets, and the Royal electric vacuum cleaner were some of the first products to appear on the showroom floor. These appliances, considered innovations at the time, were the predecessor of what was to become the Kieffer’s concept – the newest, most advanced products at the best prices. This concept, continued by Jace Kieffer, holds true today.

A Family Affair

John E. Kieffer, Sr.’s two sons, John Jr. and Larry, grew up in the business using mountains of tires as a playground. By age 10, both boys were working part-time in the store delivering appliances and repairing tires. After an honorable discharge from the navy, Larry joined the business full-time in 1945. John did the same in 1946. The store became known as John E. Kieffer & Sons.

1940

THROUGH

1960

THROUGH

1980

The Family Tradition Continues - Third Generation

Like his father, Larry encouraged his five children to work in the store. At the age of 10, his oldest son John helped lay the tile, route the wiring, and install the plumbing in the newly acquired Lansdale showroom. John drove delivery trucks during high school and college to fund his education, briefly joining his father and uncle in the business after graduation. But sons have to make their own way so John left to forge his own path. It wasn’t until more than 10 years later that he returned to the family business.

In January of 1987, John and his wife Brenda officially bought the business from his father Larry and renamed it Kieffer’s Appliances. His Uncle John retired and his father stayed for several years to lend John and Brenda his 40+ years of expertise. The tire portion of the business was dissolved to focus solely on appliances and John Kieffer became the third generation to take the reins. In the mid-90s, the business evolved yet again with the inception of the Outside Sales Division positioning Kieffer’s Appliances to serve builders, kitchen designers, architects, interior designers, property managers, and remodelers.

1987

2000

The Momentum Continues

The new millennium brought an explosion of public interest in cooking through numerous culinary shows on television and the proliferation of experimental and high-end restaurants in the area. Demand for luxury cooking products was now at an all-time high and the concept of the Dream Kitchen was born. The showroom followed suit and morphed from rows of appliances to products displayed in real-life kitchen vignettes.

Never Stopping

In-line with the Kieffer family tradition, John’s sons, Jace and Grant, began working summers and holidays delivering appliances, eventually progressing into the office and sales. In 2006, after graduating college, Jace joined the team full-time. Jace, like his father before him, hit the ground running and oversees the day-to-day operations of the company. His new-generation influence becomes stronger with each passing year.

2006

100 Years

& COUNTING…

2017 marked the store’s 100th year, making Kieffer’s Appliances one of the oldest businesses in Lansdale. Since then, there have been many changes. With a company this old, we have continued to expand our staff and grow our company. Kieffer’s now has multiple warehouses, where the appliances are stored for the delivery drivers and installers to be able to make their rounds from Lansdale all the way to Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey. Not only do we make deliveries in DE, MD, PA & NJ, we also expanded our delivery and installation teams to 30+ vehicles and more than 60 of our own employees.

Today, we are well over 100 years in business. Still family owned, it is our mission to bring professional service, support, and a broad product selection to an industry dominated by large, impersonal retail chains. Kieffer’s Appliances has become the largest independent appliance dealer in the tri-state area featuring over 60 brands of appliances in our “Super” Showroom.