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Hardware Store Badged Bikes.

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Thank You. Your memory is good enough for me.

I remember that the Western Auto Store in my neighborhood sold the Western Flyer X-53.
I got one for Christmas in 1954. My mom & uncle put it on “layaway”.
The bike arrived in a huge carton unassembled.
What I would give to open up a BlueBird complete in a carton or for that matter, any brand....
all made in the USA. :)
 
This one is on my '38 Five Bar--the earliest Five Bar I have ever seen. Being a HD guy I love this badge. In 1911 Frank Mahowald started a Hardware store in Mankato, MN. By 1917 he carried a full line of sporting goods to include bicycles and Harley Davidson motorcycles. If anyone has this badge with the paint still intact I would love to see it as I plan to restore this bike. This bike is house painted green and I think the green on the badge is the same as on the bike. V/r Shawn

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Bump with some info from another thread on Delmar: Simmons Hardware Co. St Louis, MO.
Delmar is a St. Louis hardware store branded bike. I don't recall which hardware store, Shapleigh, Guarantee, etc, etc, but I had looked at a map last year of its former location and its property sat right along, you guessed it, Delmar Ave. in St. Louis. At the turn of the century St. Louis, MO was kind of the center of the universe for all things tools, toolmaking, die making, and so on because the tool steel that was produced by the nearby Granite City Steel in Granite City, IL was considered superior to almost all other mills in the United States. (Copied from a post back in 2013 by @Talewinds)
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While not a hardware store, I've been collecting information on bikes sold through a store in Portland, OR... 'L.W. Keenan and Co'. I stumbled across the brand while looking at CL bikes. Went and checked it out (seller turned out to be CABE member)...and bought it. Then became so consumed by these Portland Oregon badged bikes, that I've bought pretty much anything I can that is related to it. So...here are my L.W. Keenan & Co bikes...

...the first, a Champion badged boys' Columbia (1941)...thank you Shawn :cool:
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...my 2nd aquisition, another Champion badged boys' '41 Columbia...the owner had no history on it...
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...thirdly, a Champion badged girls' '42 Columbia...the owners' mother had gotten it before the attack on Pearl Harbor...
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I got all three of the above off CL in ~6month window...haven't seen another hit CL here since (nearly 2 years ago).

I have a thread on RRB that archives what I've dug up and invites others to add to it (L.W. Keenan Champion branded bikes...Colson Heavy Service and ACE HIGH brands as well). That is how I was made aware of a L.W. Keenan badged Colson in the SF Bay area...a couple months later, I got it as well...
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There was a very nice L.W. Keenan Heavy Service Colson here on the CABE a few years ago (before I started my decent into madness), had the aluminum fenders and chainguard...but, I believe it got parted out :cry:.

In addition to the ones I have (above)...there was a gentleman that did a drive by posting on my thread, stated his dad worked at L.W. Keenan bitd, and provided some pics of his sisters' bike...a Champion branded '42 Columbia lightweight...
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Unfortunately, he didn't respond to my inquiries...just one post and gone.

Recently ANOTHER L.W. Keenan badged bike came out of nowhere on my thread, from a guy in Portland, of all places :cool:. This one was branded as an 'Ace High' and is on a CWC bike...
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Jason
 
On my RRB thread, a member (also a member here) posted another Champion badge, wondering if it was related to the L.W. Keenan Champion...
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...I don't think it is related to L.W. Keenan...oddly enough, the script is dead on to an Australian Champion brand, but I can't imagine what the connection would be.

I have a black/red CWC project without a badge...so, I picked up one of these off ebay...
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Jason
 
This one is on my '38 Five Bar--the earliest Five Bar I have ever seen. Being a HD guy I love this badge. In 1911 Frank Mahowald started a Hardware store in Mankato, MN. By 1917 he carried a full line of sporting goods to include bicycles and Harley Davidson motorcycles. If anyone has this badge with the paint still intact I would love to see it as I plan to restore this bike. This bike is house painted green and I think the green on the badge is the same as on the bike. V/r Shawn

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I have a photo of another style badge and a couple photos of badges with very little paint.
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