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Magic Chef, Inc. (formerly the American Stove Company) is an appliance brand currently owned by CNA International Inc.


St. Louis origins

In the 1850s John Ringen, a
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immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...
to the United States, began a tinshop in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
. His business prospered and, in 1870, he took in a partner, George August Kahle, who had immigrated to America from Germany in 1867. The business sold housewares, early
washing machine A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a machine designed to laundry, launder clothing. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water. Other ways of doing laundry include dry cleaning (which uses ...
s, and cooking stoves they called "quick meals". In 1881, George Kahle persuaded his brothers-in-law, Charles and Louis Stockstrom, to set up a shop to manufacture stoves. These four principals then organized two
corporations A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...
, the Quick Meal Stove Company and the Ringen Stove Company.


American Stove Company and the Magic Chef brand name

Quick Meal manufactured the stoves, with Ringen Stove handling sales and distribution of the entire output of Quick Meal's production. The phenomenal growth of these two companies during the 1880s and 1890s led to the merger of eight other stove companies in
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
,
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
in 1901 to form the American Stove Company. American Stove introduced the first oven temperature control device in 1914. In 1929, it began using the
brand name A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...
Magic Chef. The Magic Chef name was so successful as an oven and stove brand that American Stove Company changed its name to Magic Chef, Inc. in 1951. The company remained well known for its
gas stove A gas stove is a Kitchen stove, stove that is fuelled by flammable gas such as natural gas, propane, butane, liquefied petroleum gas or syngas. Before the advent of gas, cooking stoves relied on solid fuels, such as coal or wood. The first gas sto ...
s, but attempts to spread the brand to other household appliances were unsuccessful.


Sales and spread

In 1957, it was merged with the Food Giant Markets of California. In 1958, it was sold to Dixie Products, a small stove company of
Cleveland, Tennessee Cleveland is the county seat of, and largest city in, Bradley County, Tennessee. The population was 47,356 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Cleveland metropolitan area, Tennessee (consisting of Bradle ...
, after selling off a few underperforming divisions of Magic Chef. In 1974, Magic Chef bought the Norge Village
Laundry Laundry is the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with this u ...
& Dry Cleaners chain. By 1986, the company had become the 249th largest industrial company in the nation, and was sold to
Maytag The Maytag Corporation is an American Home appliance, home and commercial appliance company. The company has been owned by Whirlpool Corporation since April 2006. History The Maytag Washing Machine Company was founded in 1893 by businessm ...
for $740 million. Magic Chef also made home furnaces and air conditioners; that operation was sold to Lennox International in 1988.
Whirlpool Corporation Whirlpool Corporation is an American multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer and marketer of home appliances headquartered in Benton Charter Township, Michigan, United States. In 2023, the Fortune 500 company had an annual revenue ...
acquired Maytag Corporation in 2006. Magic Chef has been spun out to CNA International Inc./MC Appliance Corporation, which imports and markets small appliances under several brand names.


See also

* Dortch Stove Works: A historic Magic Chef factory in Franklin, Tennessee


References


External links


MC Appliance CorporationAmerican Stove Company/Magic Chef in New York-mid 20th centuryCharles Stockstrom's mansion a St. Louis city landmark
{{Home appliance brands Home appliance brands Maytag brands Companies based in St. Louis American companies established in 1901 Electronics companies established in 1901 Products introduced in 1929 1881 establishments in Missouri 1901 establishments in Missouri 1929 establishments in Missouri American brands 1986 mergers and acquisitions