Belber

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Belber is an American leather goods company founded in 1891 in Philadelphia by Aaron and Henry Belber. They started in a South Philadelphia basement with just $200, hand-stitching luggage for long hours. The first factory opened in 1903, and their brothers Herman and Maurice soon joined the business. In 1919 Belber bought the Oshkosh Trunk Company, helping it become a leading maker of travel goods.

In 1920 Belber moved into the Larkin Building on Arch Street to house its main office, factory, and showroom. By the mid-1920s the company had built a national network with plants in Woodbury and Newark, New Jersey, and Oshkosh, Wisconsin, plus branch offices in Pittsburgh, New York, Minneapolis, Chicago, and San Francisco. Belber continued expanding by acquiring Schmit Bros. Trunk Company in 1926 and later Innovation and Neverbreak in the 1930s.

In 1930 the headquarters moved to Woodbury, New Jersey, and in 1947 all activities left Philadelphia and were centralized in Woodbury. The rise of air travel in the 1950s weakened the business, and Belber went dormant in the mid-1970s. A group bought the brand in 2013 to revive it, and a new collection of bags and accessories was launched in 2016.

During the 1920s, Belber’s trunks and travel gear were symbols of luxury. The company filed up to 80 patents between 1907 and 1935, including the Safe Lock and Curtain Follower. Advertisements promoted travel as aspirational and fashionable, encouraging people to travel with style. In the 1940s Belber partnered with Hollywood for product tie-ins, featuring stars in films. The Larkin-Belber Building in Philadelphia served as a major factory and showroom from 1920 to 1947, known for its size and distinctive rooftop signs.