In 1880 Solomon and Oscar Karpen, who emigrated from Germany to Chicago in 1872, started a furniture manufacturing enterprise. By the beginning of the twentieth century, when it ranked among the country's leading makers of upholstered furniture, S. Karpen & Bros. employed about 700 people at its large factory on West 22nd Street. In 1952, Karpen was acquired by the Schnadig Corp., led by Lawrence K. Schnadig of Chicago. By the end of the twentieth century, Schnadig was still based in the Chicago area (in suburban Des Plaines), but its plants were elsewhere.

This entry is part of the Encyclopedia's Dictionary of Leading Chicago Businesses (1820-2000) that was prepared by Mark R. Wilson, with additional contributions from Stephen R. Porter and Janice L. Reiff.