Pedlar People Limited was a major sheet metal manufacturing company based in Oshawa, Ontario, founded in 1861 by blacksmith Henry Pedlar in the back of his hardware store at the corner of Bond and Simcoe Streets. After his death in 1872, his son George H. Pedlar expanded the business, transforming it into the Pedlar Metal Roofing Company in 1892. By 1894, it was recognized as the largest sheet metal factory in the British Empire, producing metal roofing, ceilings, walls, and other architectural metal products.
The company played a vital role during both World Wars—manufacturing artillery shells, cartridge cases, radar cabinets, and army huts during World War I and II. It relocated to a new 7-acre facility at Simcoe Street South and First Avenue in 1920, where it remained a cornerstone of Oshawa’s industrial identity. Known as the "Manchester of Canada" due to its manufacturing prowess, Pedlar People employed hundreds of workers and expanded its product line to include school lockers, metal buildings, and industrial equipment.
In 1976, the company was sold to a Toronto holding company led by Graeme Kirkland, who attempted to diversify operations. However, due to a global steel shortage and high interest rates, Pedlar People Limited was forced into receivership in 1982 and officially dissolved in 1984. The main factory on Simcoe Street South was demolished in 1980 to make way for a shopping centre (now vacant), and the site is now part of Memorial Park, where a plaque commemorates the company’s legacy.
The middle one is an unmarked Lufkin. 
thread!
