DAU IS BORN
In 1894, Ferdinand Dau opened the first Dau Furniture Company at 18th and Cass Ave in St. Louis, Missouri. At a time when St. Louis was booming as the 4th largest city in the United States, Ferdinand Dau entered the furniture business out of necessity and remained in it through talent and dedication.
Born in Brandenburg, Germany, Ferdinand immigrated to St. Louis. Upon arrival, he took a job as a carpenter building street cars for the St. Louis Car Company. But when the laborers went on a year-long strike, Ferdinand had to find another means to feed his family.
Thus, Ferdinand took his carpentry skills and applied them to building basic children's furniture, small cabinets, and wall beds from scrap wood. By the time the strike ended, Ferdinand's small furniture business was a success and he expanded by opening Dau Furniture Company at 18th and Cass Ave. Shortly thereafter he moved his growing business to 21st and Cass Ave.
As the Victorian Era came to a close a fresh air of furniture styles took hold in America. Architects like Frank Lloyd Write changed the way people thought about home design and in the world of furniture; the Stickley brothers radically altered the concepts of home furnishings. At his new location, Ferdinand Dau began buying furniture from other manufacturers and selling them at his store. It would still be many years before furniture stores took on the design qualities they have today, at this time Dau Furniture Company sold everything from cribs to vacuum cleaners, but the foundation was laid for a St. Louis furniture store that would last the test of time.
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15424 Manchester Road, Ellisville, MO 63011 
Phone: 636-394-3005 Fax: 636-394-0690 © Dau Home Furnishings 2011