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Company Timeline
Lillian Vernon is one of America's most accomplished and well-known leaders in the catalog industry. As a pioneer in a field dominated by men, the significance of her achievements ranks with those of mail order leaders Richard Sears and L.L. Bean. These are the important milestones in our Company's history:
| 1933 | Lillian's family, fleeing the Nazis, moves from their home in Leipzig, Germany to Amsterdam, Holland. |
| 1937 | The family emigrates to New York City to escape the Nazis and World War II. |
| 1951 | A housewife expecting her first child, Lillian starts her mail order business in her small apartment using her kitchen table as her office. With $2,000 of wedding gift money, she designs a purse and belt and places a $495 ad in Seventeen Magazine, offering a unique service—personalization with her customers' initials free of charge. The ad brings in $32,000 in orders and the business is launched. |
| 1954 | Lillian's Company named after her home in Mount Vernon, New York, rents a storefront for a warehouse. She rents a building next door for her monogramming operation and a store across the street becomes the shipping department. Her Company soon begins manufacturing and wholesaling custom-designed products for other companies including Max Factor, Elizabeth Arden, Avon and Revlon. |
| 1956 | Lillian publishes her first 16-page black and white catalog and mails it to 125,000 customers who have responded to her ads. She expands her product line to include personalized combs, blazer buttons, collar pins and cuff links. |
| 1970 | First million dollar year in sales. |
| 1974 | First retail store opens in Mount Vernon. |
| 1982 | Sale catalogs are introduced. |
| 1988 | National Distribution Center is built in Virginia Beach, Virginia. |
| 1989 | Computer Center, with a new IBM mainframe, is opened at the National Distribution Center. Outlet store opens in Virginia Beach to sell overstocked and discontinued products. |
| 1990 | Lillian Vernon is named the 1990 Catalog of the Year at the Annual Catalog Conference. New Customer Service Center opens in the National Distribution Center. Lilly's Kids, our children's catalog, is introduced. |
| 1991 | Outlet store opens in the Prime Outlets in Williamsburg, Virginia. |
| 1992 | New Call Center opens in the National Distribution Center. |
| 1993 | Corporate headquarters relocated from Mount Vernon to New Rochelle, New York. Products featured on an hour-long segment on the QVC Shopping Network. Products offered in Skymall catalogs on 17 airlines and Amtrak trains. |
| 1994 | Lillian is inducted into Direct Marketing Association Hall of Fame. Personalized Gifts catalog is introduced. |
| 1995 | Lillian Vernon products become available over the Internet. Outlet store opens in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. |
| 1996 | Major 335,000 square-foot expansion of the National Distribution Center is completed, bringing total facility to 821,000 square feet. Lillian Vernon's autobiography, "An Eye for Winners", is published by HarperCollins in hardcover and audiotapes. |
| 1997 | Favorites catalog, showcasing our most popular products, is introduced. Outlet stores open in Lake George and Long Island, New York, and Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head, South Carolina. Lillian Vernon is named one of 50 leading women entrepreneurs of the world by the National Foundation for Women Business Owners. Paperback edition of "An Eye for Winners" is published. |
| 1998 | Headquarters relocates from New Rochelle to Rye, New York. |
| 2000 | Outlet store opens in Wilmington, Delaware. |
| 2001 | Company celebrates its 50th Anniversary. New web site, www.lillianvernon.com, is launched. Lillian Vernon Corporation commended as "One of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens" by "Business Ethics Magazine". Outlet store opens in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Lillian Vernon named one of the 10 most popular catalogs in America. |
| 2002 | Internet Retailer names www.lillianvernon.com one of the "Top 25 Retail Websites". Outlet store opens in Manchester, Vermont. Online Affiliate Program introduced on www.lillianvernon.com. |
| 2003 | Ripplewood Holdings and ZelnickMedia acquire Lillian Vernon Corporation. Licensing of the Lillian Vernon name begins. Lillian Vernon products become available in Hometown Threads stores. National magazine, newspaper and radio advertising campaign starts. |
| 2004 | Lillian Vernon Corporation and Time-Life join to form Direct Holdings Worldwide. Headquarters relocates to White Plains, New York. |
| 2006 | Sun Capital Partners acquires Lillian Vernon Corporation. Michael Muoio named president and CEO. |
| 2008 | Lillian Vernon is aquired by Current USA, one of over 150 Taylor Corporation owned businesses. |
| 2009 | The Virginia Beach call center begins handling Colorful Images & Current USA orders. |
| 2010 | National Distribution Center and call center relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado. |
