Public TV show taping at century-old Dayton company

A public TV show, “A Craftsman’s Legacy,” is taping an episode at Dayton company Gerstner & Sons, a maker of wooden chests and cases.

The taping was happening Monday and continues today at the company’s shop and headquarters at 20 Gerstner Way off Edwin C. Moses Boulevard. “A Craftsman’s Legacy” is a national, weekly TV series hosted by motorcycle builder Eric Gorges. The show can be seen on ThinkTV/14 HD locally.

“It’s fun,” said Scott Campbell, the company’s president. “We’re giving them (the show’s crew) full rein of the factory.”

The show explores and highlights age-old craftsmanship that too often is becoming something of a “lost art,” said Susan Hellman, a publicist for the program.

“What the show does is highlight that old-school craftsmanship that lasts,” Hellman said.

Jack Campbell, the late owner of Gerstner & Sons, last summer said the company in years past had to address the relatively inexpensive imports of competing products coming to these shores from overseas. As a result, Campbell had an “international” line of products made in a Chinese factory since 2003.

But the value of Campbell’s American-made catalog — products still made in Dayton — has not diminished, Campbell said. “It’s becoming more important to people, it seems, to be (have products) made in America,” he said.

Jack Campbell was the grandson of the man who started the company in 1906, Harry Gerstner, who himself was a Barney and Smith Car Co. pattern maker in Dayton. Scott is the great-grandson of the founder.

Founded in 1906, Gerstner & Sons originally thrived by producing tool chests for the machinists and tool and die makers in the region’s metal machining industry. The chests gained popularity because wood draws away moisture, which prevents precision metal tools from rusting.

Over the years, Gerstner’s customer base has shifted away from the machining industry to hobbyists and collectors, the company told this news outlet in 2014. In recent years, the company has introduced specialized chests and cases for gun and knife enthusiasts, as well as jewelry, watch and coin collections.

“Anything with small pieces and parts is ideal to store in our product, because it’s a product that is not only functional, but fits in different settings as far as living rooms, bedrooms. It’s not just relegated to the workshop or the basement,” Scott Campbell said.