Capitol Fishing Tackle Company was established in New York in 1897. It began in Germany circa 1845, focusing primarily on cutlery. Over fifty years time, the sharpening of surgical instruments and tailors tools, the core of the business, gave way to a new endeavor - handmade fish hooks. When Otto Neff brought his family to New York in 1897, he opened the first of Capitols locations on 34th Street and 3rd Avenue. His son, Charles "Charlie" Neff learned the family business here, eventually taking it over from his father in the 1930s. In 1942 the store moved to 7th Avenue between 22nd and 23rd Street. 1964 saw another move to the well-known space below the historic Chelsea Hotel where the current owner, a former employee, took the helm in 1974. Here it remained for the next 42 years, until 2006, when Capitol Fishing arrived on West 36th Street between 7th Avenue and Broadway.