Like most well established industrial supply companies, Brammall Supply began its business in the heart of the city's industrial district. Surrounded by heavy industry such as foundries and heavy machinery manufacturers, the Brammall warehouse occupied a strategic space near both the Benton Harbor ship canal (Water Street) and a sprawling spiderweb of railroad spurs and side-tracks. Passenger train service was available at the station a short distance from the Brammall warehouse. A variety of hotels, bars and restaurants lined the nearby streets. Throngs of visitors supported this bustling urban community - frequenting such well known hostels as The Vincent, Dwan, Saltzman, Michigan and Benton Hotels and the nearby bars and taverns - the Ideal, Lions, Highway and Depot, among others. All within a few blocks of each other!
At Brammall Supply, steel pipe, cable, chain, fittings and heavy goods were off-loaded directly from freight cars (by hand) behind the warehouse. As transportation gradually shifted from rail, ship and barge to truck, the canal fell out of favor and the network of rail spurs were removed. Still, industry thrived in Benton Harbor through the middle half of the century.
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