It might not roll off the tongue, but the Hammacher Schlemmer name has been around for more than 150 years. Founded as a New York hardware store, it is one of the nation's most seasoned retailers, producing the longest continually published catalog in the US. Offering a pricey lineup it calls "the Best, the Only and the Unexpected," Hammacher Schlemmer sells innovative, upscale gifts, gadgets, and housewares. The firm has been the first to sell a number of cutting-edge products, including the pop-up toaster (1930), steam iron (1948), microwave oven (1968), portable DVD player (1998), and robotic lawnmower (2000). It operates stores in Chicago and New York City. Heirs of J. Roderick MacArthur own the company.
