Along Main Street: 212 E. Main Street

The Lowell Area Historical Museum is taking us on a stroll along Main Street and sharing the history of buildings in Lowell’s historic downtown. To learn more about Lowell history, visit the museum website to explore its collection of local artifacts and records.

Address: 212 E. Main
Date built: 1873
Builder: Sylvester Brower
Owner: John Kopf
1st business: J. Kopf Furniture

After 1873, furniture manufactured at J. Kopf & Co. Furniture Factory south of the Grand River (1867-1888) was sold at 212 E. Main. Here’s what the factory looked like:

And here’s the John and Mary Jane Kopf family home at 13515 Grand River Dr.  It still stands near the former location of the factory:

Windsor and cane seat chairs of cherry and walnut were their specialty. They also made stands, drop-leaf tables, desks, bedsteads and caskets. They turned out 20,000 chairs annually at their peak. Below is an example of one of the factory’s chairs.

John Kopf, proprietor of J. Kopf & Co. Furniture Factory, acquired the lot at 212 E. Main from E. J. Booth in 1873. This Main Street store was then built to showcase and sell the furniture that was made in the factory on the south side of the Grand River. Sales, both wholesale and retail, and shipping were handled here. The basement was used to store furniture; the first floor held first class furniture, clock repair, silverware and jewelry; the second floor held parlor furniture; the third floor had caskets and a painting room.

John Kopf

In 1882, Kopf sold the store to Taylor & Wittrup who continued selling Kopf furniture. In 1888, the store became Taylor and Kopf Funeral Directors and Furniture. After John Kopf’s death in 1888, his nephews, John L. Kopf and Goodrich Kopf, Jr., formed a business known as “Kopf Bros. Furniture and Undertakers” which operated from 1889 to 1895. A. D. Oliver, a jeweler, worked in a corner of the Kopf Bros. building during the 1890s.

Yeiter & Wadsworth Furniture and Undertaking moved here from 206 E. Main in 1896 and continued for 17 years, 1896 -1913. It was Yeiter & Shaw for one year and then became Yeiter and Co. when Orlo J. Yeiter, a young man and cousin, joined J. B. Yeiter. In 1922, J. B. retired and O. J. Yeiter continued the company at this location until 1927 when he moved to 202 W. Main.

From 1931-1945, Mr. and Mrs. A. R. Smith sold used furniture and antiques. Their son, Carl L. Smith purchased the store in 1943. In 1948, Carl affiliated with Western Auto which began as a specialty retail chain of stores that supplied automobile parts and accessories. Later Western Auto added firearms, toys, household goods and a catalog department. In 1956, Carl and Louisa Smith moved their Western Auto home and auto supply store across the street to 229 and 219 E. Main and utilized both storefronts.

Rittenger Insurance and Richmond Real Estate were here in the early 1960s. In 1965, the MOOSE Lodge expanded to the first floor of both 210 and 212 E. Main. The MOOSE Lodge was located at 210-212 E. Main in when this photo was taken. 212 E. Main is the 4th building from the left.

In 2015, both buildings were gutted and remodeled. This double storefront became home to Main Street BBQ in 2016. Main Street BBQ offers “100% smoke and fire traditional Central Texas BBQ in the heart of Lowell, Michigan.”

Here’s what the building (immediately left of the pole) looked like on the Fourth of July in 1895 or 1896:

And here’s what 212 E. Main Street —  tan building to the left — looks like today:


1 Comment

  1. You make these articles so easy to read and understand. I really like to see the photo of what the building looks like today.

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