Founded in 1852 by Clemens Vonnegut, Sr. The first Vonnegut store was a small one-room building on East Washington Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1867, they moved to 342 E. Washington where they stayed until 1898.
Eventually they had a downtown store, and nine branches scattered all over Indianapolis. The main store was at 402 W. Maryland Street.
In 1965, Vonnegut was sold to the Schlage Lock Company of San Francisco, California. In 1966, the employees purchased it from Schlage. The firm has been an industrial supply distributor since 1965. Exact dates when pocket knives and razors were sold is difficult to pinpoint.
c 1852-1965