In 1873, Charles Hager purchased his first piece of hinge manufacturing machinery, and the company took off. During this exciting time, Charles enlisted five of his eight children into the business: Charles, August, Richard, and twins Louis and William. This firmly established a Hager tradition that has remained unchanged over the past 175 years: Hager would be a true family business. 

With the close-knit team ready to get down to business, the blacksmith shop was also prepared for a new look and name, further solidifying the family's stance: C. Hager and Sons Hinge Manufacturing Company. This company was not only a family business… it was a quickly growing enterprise, specializing in manufacturing more varieties of quality hardware with each passing day.

The pace of growth was extraordinary, in a remarkably short amount of time. From offering a quaint catalog with 11 pages of merchandise in 1877, Hager rapidly expanded to an incredible 259 pages in 1923. This was a testament to Hager's ability to adapt and thrive, setting the stage for its future success.