Entrepreneurial Journey from Holocaust Survivor to Canadian Industrial Pioneer: The Craftline Industries Saga
A Tale of Ambition and Resilience: The Rise of Craftline Industries
In an era where North American furniture manufacturers were grappling with the fierce competition from foreign imports, one company stood out - Craftline Industries. Based in Toronto, this homegrown powerhouse not only showcased elegant craftsmanship but was also built upon a truly remarkable story. At its helm was Manny Drukier, a Holocaust survivor who transformed a tiny operation into one of Canada's leading furniture and clock producers with his vision, innate talent, and unwavering spirit.
To delve deeper into the story behind Craftline Industries and its founder, Manny Drukier, I reached out to the Drukier family. My primary contact was Manny's daughter, Cindy, who generously shared an abundance of details about her father's journey.
Manny's vision was kindled in 1948, when at 19 years old, he arrived in Toronto as a Holocaust survivor. With his mother and sister already settled there, he found himself in need of a means to support the family. His entrepreneurial instincts kicked in when he recognized the burgeoning demand for furniture among new immigrants. He had no formal experience in the field but landed a sales position in a furniture store, quickly demonstrating his talent and being promoted to a higher salary and commission structure.
In less than a year, Manny decided he could learn more on his own and branched out to establish his own business. He opened North American Furniture, a store he co-founded with his brother-in-law, David Rosenfeld, on Bloor St. West. The venture prospered, and they expanded to a second store on The Danforth. By 1961, they upgraded to a larger, more upscale location in a former supermarket at Bathurst and Eglinton.
Manny noticed that while the Canadian-made furniture was well-crafted, it lacked the modern elegance that consumers desired. Thus, he saw an opportunity in the market and made the daring decision to venture into manufacturing.He had no idea how to do it but thrived on challenges and had immense faith in his abilities. In 1964, he sold North American Furniture to his brother-in-law and teamed up with Leonard Caplan, who was manufacturing case goods in Georgia, and Henry Gancman, a Canadian maker of chrome kitchen sets.
They established a small factory in the north end of Toronto, employing around 15 people. One of them was Manny's wife, Freda, who managed the bookkeeping and ran the office. Over time, they moved to bigger locations, culminating in the construction of a sprawling factory, showroom, and offices on 13 acres in Weston, Toronto. Craftline manufactured all-wood occasional furniture such as coffee tables, end tables, curios, consoles, wall units, and grandfather and grandmother clocks, eventually becoming Canada's top producer of elegant furniture, employing around 250 people.
"Manny was the main designer for all the furniture, including the clocks. He had no experience in this, of course, and couldn't really draw on any either, but he always had lots of ideas!" Cindy revealed.
The wave of demand for Craftline grandfather clocks was so high in 1974 that they could barely keep up with the orders, producing 2,500 units alone and expecting to double that number by the end of the year. At the time, the U.S. market for clocks, priced between $200 and $4,000, was estimated to be worth $200 million[6].
The tall clock cases were made from solid lumber and veneered with fruitwood, elm, and ash, adopting styles such as Spanish, Mediterranean, Colonial, and Country French. Craftline premiered both eight-day mechanical clocks and transistorized, battery-operated pulsation-type clocks. Higher-priced models were fitted with mechanical movements, while lower-end versions, manufactured by subsidiary Craftique, employed battery-powered movements. By 1974, Craftique had produced 14,000 units[7].
Three suppliers in Schwenningen, Germany, manufactured the clock movements for Craftline, although the specific names of the companies were not disclosed in the records. Manny initially harbored reservations about sourcing the clockworks from Germany due to his Holocaust experiences but ultimately recognized their excellent quality and reliability[8]. While he hoped to find a domestic source for the movements, this proved to be unsuccessful.
Most Craftline clocks were sold through furniture stores, with a team of salesmen covering Canada and a bit of the eastern United States. Jewelry stores and department stores often bought in smaller quantities due to limited floor space. However, Eaton department stores couldn't meet consumer demand, and Craftline clocks ultimately became a popular fixture in family homes across North America.
Manny's life was not all about business. He had a playful side, trading a grandfather clock for its value in ice cream from the first Canadian importer of Haagen-Dazs[9]. As for the clock that he gave away, tragedy struck when the family's fine oriental-style grandfather clock was consumed by flames in a house fire in 2011[10].
Craftline persisted until 1991, but the combined blows of the Canada-US Free Trade agreement, the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax, and a general decline in the furniture industry forced the company into bankruptcy. Nevertheless, Manny's business ventures and success did not stop there. He published short-lived magazines, dabbled in real estate, opened a pub called The Idler, and even starred in a documentary about his war years called Finding Manny.
Manny Drukier's legacy lives on, not only through his impressive accomplishments in business but also in the countless Craftline clocks that continue to tick away in homes across North America.
- Manny Drukier, the founder of Craftline Industries, showcased his talent in various aspects of the company, including designing mechanical clocks for the vintage line.
- As Craftline Industries expanded, they produced various types of wall clocks, clocks for grandfather and grandmother, and even ventured into the finance sector, with clocks priced between $200 and $4,000 in the US market.
- Alongside the success of Craftline, Manny's lifestyle was not limited to business, as he traded a grandfather clock for a stock of ice cream from the first Canadian importer of Haagen-Dazs, embodying a unique balance of entrepreneurship and playfulness.
