Promising Quality for Five Generations, Since 1871
The Beginning
1871
Forshaw Co was founded in 1871 by Joseph Forshaw, who moved to the USA from England at the age of 19. He was a cabinetmaker by trade and began his company on Cole Street hand carving wooden patterns for molds from which to cast iron replacement parts for cooking and heating stoves. As the business grew, Forshaw grew into a major retail outlet for coal-burning stoves and furnaces.
1881
The second Forshaw, Joseph Jr. was born above the new Forshaw Co location on Franklin Ave.
1890
As the business outgrew the Franklin location, Joseph I moved the business to 12th Street near Chestnut in 1890. By then it had become the largest U.S. supplier of parts for cast iron cooking stoves and coal furnaces.
The 2nd Generation
1908 – 1924
Before working in the business full-time, Joseph Forshaw Jr. was a local and nationally recognized athlete. He organized the first St. Louis ice hockey team and was a marathon runner on the U.S. Olympic Teams on four occasions. At the 1908 Games, where he won a bronze medal for placing third in the marathon, he was introduced as “Forshaw of St. Louis.” When he returned home, his father changed the company’s name to Forshaw of St. Louis from the Forshaw Co, the same name the business operates as today.
1925
Joseph Forshaw, Jr. took over the company after his father´s death.
1926
In 1926, when a Saint Louis trade show featuring wrought iron fireplace fixtures flopped, Joseph Jr. purchased the entire show and remodeled the store. This acquisition increased Forshaw’s presence in the wholesale trade of fireplace fixtures.
1932
In 1932, when the Forshaw property was condemned for a new city park, the company moved to a new location on 12th Street in Downtown St. Louis and installed newer and larger displays.
Post-War Evolution
1946
In 1946, at age 24, Joseph Forshaw III joined his father’s business. Coal heating was rapidly becoming obsolete, and Joe III entered the business with a stern warning from his father that great changes were coming.
1948
In 1948, more than 1,000,000 pounds of new stove and furnace parts were scrapped as modern heating and cooling equipment and more fireplace fixtures and barbeque equipment were added.
1957
Joseph Forshaw III and Frederic DuBois relocated the business to its present location on Lindbergh Boulevard in 1957. At that time, there was very little business in the area, but the company continued to thrive. It was during this time that the company expanded into many of the retail categories it is best known for today: casual outdoor furniture, factory-built fireplaces, and fireplace doors. The company began in the outdoor furniture segment with Woodard wrought iron furniture, which is still sold in its stores today.
Growth
1980
As the fourth generation of Forshaw, Joseph Forshaw IV and Rick Forshaw Sr. assumed control of the business in the early 1980s.
2001
A new state-of-the-art facility was built in Bridgeton in 2001 to accommodate the company’s expansion into new construction fireplace supply & installation, granite fabrication, wood mantel fabrication, sheet metal fabrication, and its growing wholesale distribution business. A branch in Jefferson City was opened for new construction supply of fireplace and barbeque products, and this store still serves the Jeff City and Lake of the Ozarks areas. The location on Lindbergh Boulevard was expanded throughout the 1990s and 2000s to accommodate growing variety and selection of products. When Joe IV retired in 2016, the company had grown from a retail store selling some fireplace and patio products into a retailer, wholesaler, and manufacturer specializing in a huge range of patio, hearth, and barbeque products.
Looking Forward
Currently, the firm is entering the fifth generation of family ownership. Rick Forshaw Sr. is president and CEO, Rick Forshaw Jr. is a Vice President, Nathan Forshaw is a Sales Manager, Peter Forshaw is an IT & Production Manager, and John Forshaw is a National Sales Manager.
2012
In 2012, the firm launched its modular outdoor kitchen fabrication department, and is now one of the largest providers of outdoor kitchens in the Midwest.
2017
In 2017, Forshaw acquired the assets of Dagan Industries, further expanding its presence into wholesale dealers of fireplace products.
2018
In 2018, Forshaw acquired the assets of the Summer Classics Home retail store in Ellisville, MO and continues to operate that store as a Forshaw retail location.
2026
In 2026, Forshaw entered into its newest business: windows & doors. The company has partnered with another long-standing family business, Marvin Windows and Doors, based out of Warroad, Minnesota. Through this new partnership, the company is proudly selling Marvin-branded products to consumers, builders and contractors in the St. Louis market.
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