Why Coppes
OUR HERITAGE
"The foundation of any lasting business is most assuredly a quality product and a conscientious service"
JOHN COPPES
1923
THE TIMELINE
150 Years of Craft
1874
The town of Nappanee is plotted.
1876
John & Frank Coppes buy into Mellinger saw mill for $150 and a pocket watch.
1882
The first telephone in Nappanee is installed at the Coppes Bros. saw mill office.
1883
Coppes adds a starch box creation division and planer mill alongside its saw mill
1891
Samuel Coppes leaves Coppes Bros. to start Coppes Hotel
1899
Coppes introduces the Hoosier cabinet line, specifically known as the Napanee Dutch Kitchenet.
1902
New partnership is formed between John & Frank Coppes, Charles & Albert Mutscdhler, and Daniel & Harold Zook. New firm is named Coppes, Zook, & Mutschler Co.
1913
Coppes, Zook & Mutschler Co. dissolved. Mutschler Bros take over Nappanee Furniture Co. and continue in business for many years. John and Frank Coppes, with Harold Zook, concentrate on the manufacturing of kitchen cabinets.
1914
World War I begins
1916
"Dutch Lady" introduced in advertising.
1921
John & Frank Coppes purchased Harold Zook's share of the company. Company name changed to Coppes Bros.
1924
Record breaking 24,000 Hoosier Cabinets shipped.
1929
The Great Depression slows down the company but it survives intact.
1930's - 1940's
Style of kitchens change to the built-in units that we know today.
1936
Company is incorporated and its name changed to Coppes Inc.
1939
World War II begins. Coppes offers to build supplies for the war effort.
1942
The "Lazy Susan" as we know it today is introduced by Coppes Napanee.
1950's - 1970's
Coppes becomes world famous for the quality of the cabinets produced at a large quantity
1974
The rights to the Coppes company name and equipment are purchased by top salesman, Paul Herrold.
2000's - Present
Coppes Napanee is one of the two manufacturers of Hoosier Cabinets still in operation today.
2007
Old Coppes factory building is purchased for renovation by Thomas Mast
2009
Local entrepreneurs start businesses in the old factory building.
2017
The rights to the Coppes Cabinet company name and equipment are purchased by Mast Bros., LLC.
2026
Coppes Napanee celebrates 150 years and continues to sell custom luxury cabinetry to dealers nationwide.
(1876 – 1883)
The Coppes and Mellinger Years
John, Frank, and Sam Coppes purchase John Mellinger’s share of the saw mill, naming it the Coppes Brothers Saw Mill. Nappanee Furniture Co. begins business with the purchase of Mose Stahley’s Furniture Company, building its first factory a month later.
(1902-1914)
Coppes, Zook & Mutschler Co.
An extensive line of furniture is manufactured in “Factory A,” the site of the Nappanee Furniture Company. Kitchen cabinets are made in “Building C,” while chamber sets were produced in the old box factory, now “Building B.”
(1920-1939)
The Hoosier Cabinet Era
Hoosier cabinets were produced through the 1930s, reaching their peak during the 1920s. The two largest manufacturers, the Hoosier Manufacturing Co. and G.I. Sellers and Sons, were closed in 1942 and 1950 respectively, making Coppes Napanee the only manufacturer of Hoosier Cabinets still in operation today.
(2017 – Present)
Modern Era
While Coppes Napanee underwent a period of time where they faced declining sales and low output, production never entirely stopped. Wesley and Malachi Mast, along with their father Thomas, purchased the cabinet-making facility in 2017 and have instilled a new dedication to high quality woodwork and premium custom cabinetry, made using traditional techniques blended with modern technology.
Innovation
For much of the midcentury era, Coppes Napanee was both a leader in built-in cabinetry and one of the most pioneering cabinet makers in the market. In fact, several very common kitchen features today all started in our shop.
Corner Cabinet Lazy Susan
While the Lazy Susan itself had been used on dining room tables for ages across the world, Coppes Napanee was the first to include it in a corner cabinet. This made use of space that was otherwise difficult to access and offered even more storage space in cramped kitchens.
Dinette Table Pullout
Space means everything in a kitchen, especially a small one. Our shop found a way to conceal a small dinette table as a slideout in a kitchen cabinet, just below the countertop.