Colldéns Möbelaffär & Furniture Making in Lindome

Colldéns Möbel [Colldéns Furniture], also known as Colldén's Möbelaffär, was started by Johan Bernhard Colldén or by Johan Colldén and one or more partners. The business was officially founded in 1895 and was entitled Colldéns Möbel AB. Members of the board of directors for Colldéns Möbel AB was Gustaf Börjesson (1849-1913, father of David Börjesson) a relative, Olaus Pettersson, Robert Pettersson and C. N. Andersson. It consisted of a furniture store in the city of Göteborg and a manufacturing, furniture warehouse, grocery and draper's shop in the town of Lindome. Later a store was opened in the city of Mölndal.

On the side of his building in Lindome was painted in large letters J. B. Colldén Möbellager Speceri Manufakturaffär [J. B. Colldén Furniture Warehouse, Grocery & Draper 's Shop]. A 'draper' sold cloth.

In addition to manufacturing furniture Johan Bernhard also bought furniture from carpenters in the area of Lindome, many of whom were farmers. Farmers in this geographic area at least, made furniture during the winter when they had less farming chores.

Johan Bernhard sold truckloads of furniture made in his factory or by these local carpenters to furniture dealers in Sweden, and in Colldéns Möbel in Göteborg. (Besides manufacturing in Lindome Johan Bernhard also owned a sundry shop on the same premises.)

Apparently, Johan Bernhard rented out time on his machines such as his 'hyvel' and 'bandsåg' (planer and band saw) to local carpenters. However, not everyone, such as Gustav Andersson, could afford to do so as noted in the article Roggelid, Djupedala och Hovgården. Still Gustav produced beautiful work as seen in the photo of the bureau he made.

The specialty of the Lindome carpenter, Hilmer Johansson, was chairs Hilmer Johansson en konstnär med stolar i blodet [Hilmer Johansson an artist with chairs in the blood]. Hilmer would not use machines.

Many of Lindome's carpenters were artists, not just in their hands, but in their temperament. This applies particularly to Hilmer Johan Hansson of Hassungared. To him the art is in working without the help of machines. The feeling is in him!

" When I remained one night and slept for a while and wake up, then I can force a chair in the dark out there on the [shop] floor, make every sculpture detail. Then I can get up and draw it but I have seen it get out. The chair just will [emerge]! With all of the details in the back! Sometimes I dream and then a chair to be completed in the dream. Then I get up and draw away. Then it takes four or five days to improve it. In the morning you will lie on your back and think. That's when the best chairs come!"

In 1906 Johan Bernhard took out a patent for a Zusammenlegbare (foldable) bed that folds up in an 'accordian' or 'sammenskydelige' (telescoping) fashion. We have found the patent, which includes illustrations showing side and top views, in both German and Danish. Perhaps Johan Alfred had hopes of selling the beds or licensing the idea to manufacturers in Denmark and Germany. Probably he took out patents for the bed in Swedish and possibly other languages, but we haven't found those patents yet (2016). And, we don't know if Johan Bernhard ever manufactured the beds for sale in Colldéns Möbel or other stores.

Anordning ved sammenskydelige Senge (Danish)
Zusammenlegbare Bettstelle (German)

Johan Bernhard was probably the manager of Colldéns Möbel until he died in 1910. The stock of the company was sold in 1913 to Olaus Pettersson who then became sole proprietor. Thus, the Colldén family no longer owned the business. Olaus was permitted to continue using the name Colldéns Möbel. Oral history, through Doris Rinell (aka Holmquist, Brown) relates that Johan Bernhard's widow received a small check for many years from Olaus' use of the Colldén name.

In 1919 the corporation was dissolved as a legal entity though the store(s) and factory continued. Olaus Peterson died in 1932, after which the estate continued with Einar Peterson as director. A devastating fire ravaged the premises in 1935. (Apparently, the store in Göteborg). The warehouse/factory in Lindome was sold 1935.

In 1936 another corporation was formed, which became a family company. The board consisted of Einar Peterson, director, and David Peterson, Ernst Peterson and Erik Peterson.The family built up the business again, but now the company moved into new and more contemporary premises at Järntorgsgatan 8, Göteborg. (Business premises were located in the so-called Jäntorgsbazaren since 1910).

The furniture store in Göteborg was still in business under the same name in 1991. It has since gone out of business, but not before Doris Rinell (aka Holmquist, Brown), Johan Bernard's granddaughter, and Lennart Holmquist, Johan's great-grandson, and possibly Meilynn Smith, Johan's great-granddaughter, visited this store and talked to the owner.

Photos were taken by Lennart, and the owner gave Doris and Lennart a few photos and photocopies of photos of the old business.

For an excellent article (in Swedish with a summary at the end of the article in English) on the furniture industry in Lindome, Sweden including a photo of Johan Bernard's factory see Småskalig möbelindustri i Lindome [Small-scale furniture industry in Lindome] by Lena Palmqvist, published by Landsbygdens småindustrier [Rural small industries] in 2005.

For more information see also:

Aktiebolaget J. B. Colldén's Möbelaffär

Polis blev tf sankte per vid realisationsparadis

For a photocopy of a photo of those working on Allegatan (Alle Street) in Goteborg (Gotheberg) Sweden in front of Colldéns Möbelaffär [Colldéns Furniture] see:

Personalen på Allegatan i början av 30-talet

For information on furniture making and the workforce in Lindome see : Ett hantverk medspecialisering [A craft with specialization].

Footnotes