Since 2015, the Heritage Commerce Archive has been dedicated to documenting, preserving, and sharing the rich legacy of American enterprises from the dawn of the 20th century to the digital age.
We believe that every storefront, every ledger, every handshake that built American commerce tells a story worth remembering. Our mission is to collect, digitize, and make accessible the artifacts, photographs, and oral histories that define our commercial heritage.
We gather business ledgers, advertisements, packaging, and photographs from private collections, estate sales, and generous donors.
Every item is carefully digitized, cataloged, and stored in climate-controlled archives to ensure its longevity.
Through our online database, galleries, and educational programs, we make these stories accessible to researchers and the public.
From the industrial boom of the early 1900s to the rise of e-commerce, American businesses have always been a mirror of society. Here is how we trace that evolution.
Glass factories, textile mills, and steel plants dominated the landscape. We preserve the records of these pioneering enterprises.
From mom-and-pop shops to the rise of Sears catalogs, this era saw the democratization of consumer goods.
Suburban expansion and television advertising reshaped how businesses reached customers. We capture that transformative period.
The internet changed everything. Our archive documents the transition from brick-and-mortar to click-and-order.
Digitized Items
Business Histories
Oral Histories
Years of Preservation
From vintage storefronts to iconic brands, here are some highlights from our archive.
We are archivists, historians, and storytellers who treat every donation with the care it deserves.
High-resolution scanning, metadata tagging, and multi-format archival storage ensure every detail is captured.
We partner with local historical societies and business families to celebrate hometown enterprises.
Our digital archive is open to the public, ensuring knowledge is not locked behind paywalls.
Historians, librarians, and digital preservation specialists dedicated to the cause.
Founder & Chief Archivist
Digital Preservation Lead
Oral History Coordinator
Exhibit Curator
We are always looking to expand our collection. If you have photographs, ledgers, or artifacts from an old family business, reach out.
Get in Touch