The Coolerator Company manufactured refrigerators and sold them in every state and 74 foreign nations. It began in 1908 as the Duluth Showcase Company, a manufacturer of store fixtures in Downtown Duluth. Operations moved to 50th Avenue West and Wadena Street in 1921. The focus switched to iceboxes in 1928 and the business was renamed Duluth Refrigerator Company. It became the Coolerator Company in 1932 and opened a manufacturing plant in New Duluth in 1935.
The company changed ownership numerous times before ceasing operations in June 1954. One site became Zayre Shoppers’ City and is now the West Duluth Menards; the other was acquired by Chun King Company and is now a vacant lot.
5 thoughts on “Coolerator: Acclaimed in Hollywood, built in Duluth”
Paul, thanks for sharing! My grandafather, William Arndt, was president of Coolerator. It was referenced in Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell” (dance scene in Pulp Fiction)… “The Coolerator was crammed with TV dinners and ginger ale.” I’m a bit of a collector, too.
Gotta love vintage copy.
One of the Coolerator buildings was quite striking; I remembered these pics from some River history a while back:
Zenith City Online: Duluth’s Miscellaneous Manufacturers
I keep meaning to scan in my grandfather’s photos of Coolerator from 1937. He has some great candid shots of the regular workers doing their thing. A few of the shots have Coolerator #2 written on the back so they must be from within that building. Wish it was still standing.
This is my only photo of the West Duluth Coolerator building, starring my parents in the early 1950s.
Jessica, get thee to a scanner!