Who founded Pottery Barn?
A New Yorker article published in 1952 set off the craze for Pottery Barn.
Pottery Barn, now part of Williams-Sonoma Inc. family, was cofounded in 1949 by Paul Secon and Morris Secon.
Although the company is based in San Fransisco, its website and stores reach around the world.
The company began after Paul Secon drove a car full of discontinued and slightly damaged ceramics from a factory in upstate New York to Manhattan, according to the New York Times. With the help of his brother, he opened the first store in the "Big Apple."
WILLIAMS-SONOMA, POTTERY BARN TO END FALSE 'MADE IN AMERICA' CLAIMS, PAY $1M: FTC
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSM | WILLIAMS-SONOMA INC. | 172.02 | +0.63 | +0.37% |
The craze for Pottery Barn began after The New Yorker published an article about the company in 1952 saying that the store offered good quality -- in some cases flawed -- ceramics, the Times reported.
Eventually, both brothers expanded to seven shops with three located in Manhattan. Although after Paul Secon died in 2007, Morris Secon, told the Times that they didn't necessarily make a fortune from the venture.
“When I left the business, we called it the Poverty Barn,” Morris Secon told the outlet. "We were two kids playing store; we made a living."
Paul Secon left the business in 1966, however, Morris Secon allegedly stayed on for several years to manage the chain, the Times reported.
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Morris Secon sold his shares of the chain, which now has hundreds of locations across North America and Australia, to his business partners. The company was later sold to Gap and by 1986, it was acquired by William Sonoma Inc, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The high-end furniture retailer's mission over the course of its 70-year history is to be both a beautiful and meaningful design source "by bringing together good products, people and values," the company wrote.