PENN FIXTURE & SUPPLY 2800 Penn Ave 20,000 SF Industrial Building Pittsburgh, PA 15222 $2,600,000 ($130/SF)

In the early 1950s Bill Hoffman and his brother in law Morris Goldberg were working for a company called Universal Restaurant Supply. Although they saw a great deal of promise in the restaurant supply business, they began to consider the idea of starting their own business. In 1952, Bill, his brother Dave, and Morris started their own restaurant supply company naming it Penn Fixture & Supply. Starting a company takes capital, smart planning, a certain amount of luck and an incredible amount of hard work. To raise some of the necessary funds, Bill Hoffman sold his bar in Braddock, taking the chance that the company would be a success. The early years of Penn Fixtures existence were challenging. The business operated out of a small building which used to stand where the equipment division is located today. The company lacked the capital to make large purchases of inventory and therefore, at times, had to sell product before they actually possessed it.