Fitz and Floyd
The Fitz and Floyd company started in 1960, by Pat Fitzpatrick and Bob Floyd. The company originally was an import company, but quickly moved into creating ceramic giftware. Tabletop dinnerware and accessories items were added to Fitz and Floyd's product assortment in the late 1960's.
Fitz and Floyd became known for their superior quality and the level of detail that was achieved in their product line. In the 1970's, Fitz and Floyd elevated the level of detail, by creating collections of items that were designed to portray a single theme or story.
Today, Fitz and Floyd continues their traditon of offering quality gifts, dinnerware, and accessories. Fitz and Floyd's collections have expanded over the years, and they continue to add marvelous new items to their assortment, including Fitz and Floyd's famous teapots, cookie jars, figurines, and dinnerware.
Hartstone Pottery
In 1976, at Chatham, New Jersey, Pat and Sharon Hart's goal was to create beautiful, handcrafted quality articles for the preparation and presentation of food. In 1983, the Harts moved their manufacturing to Zanesville, Ohio. With the strong pottery heritage of the Zanesville, and the available factory, Hartstone Pottery began producing hand-decorated gift and dinnerware products. Later, still in Zanesville Ohio, Hartstone pottery moved its production to a building that was operated by the JB Owens Pottery company, buit in 1902.
In the mid-1990's, the Harts sold the business to Carlisle Home Products, USA, Inc. Carlisle operated the business for approximately eight and a half years, and stopped production in the spring of 2005, leaving most of the factory employees without jobs.
In June 2005, the pottery was reborn. A group of investors from Zanesville and other locales from around the country, negotiated with Carlisle for the purchase of the 12 acre pottery and all of its equipment. Hartstone Potter rehired their former employees, restarted the manufacturing processes, and reopened the on-site factory store.
Hartstone Pottery is fully vitrified stoneware from the finest raw materials in North America. All body, glaze, and paint raw materials are lead free and cadmium free. All Hartstone Pottery is freezer, oven, microwave and dishwasher safe.
Lenox
Since 1889, Lenox has created gifts, tableware, and collectibles for U.S. presidents, dignitaries, and families like yours across America Over the years, the original focus on fine tableware has broadened to include casual collections in stoneware and earthenware, crystal stemware, and flatware, along with gifts in china, crystal, and precious metals.
Founded by Walter Scott Lenox, Lenox was organized as an art studio, rather than a factory, and offered one-of-a-kind artwares in lustrous ivory china. In the early 20th century, the trend of fine home dining spurred Lenox to created custom-designed and elaborately decorated service plates, which lead Lenox to turn his attention to complete dinnerware sets. In 1910, Lenox started with transfer prints enhanced with hand-applied color. In 1917, her introduced full-color lithographic decals, to allow uniform decoration and identifialbe patterns. Walter Scott Lenox died in 1920, having realized his dream and founded a company dedicated to the 'perfection of American porcelain". The factory was expanded to double its size that year, and Frank Graham Holmes, chief designer from 1905 to 1954 garnered numberous awards.
During WWII, Lenox translucent ivory china used in lighting fixtures since 1910, proved ideal for ship instrumentation, permitting dials to be read even when dimly lit from behind. Lenox also developed for the militry, Lenoxite, a ceramic resilient enough to be cast into insulators, resistors, and other specialized forms for use in radar and electronics. In peace time, the country wanted stylish home furnishings, and Lenox created dinnerware that became America's china of choice in mid-century - a position it still holds.
In 2005, Department 56 bought Lenox, and renamed the entire company, The Lenox group. The Lenox product line includes bone china, fine china, porcelain, stoneware, earthenware, crystal, glass, and more. Lenox maintains a factory in Kingston, NC, where fine china is still made. Lenox, now in its second century, creates artistic pieces for the table, home, and all-gift giving occasions.
Mikasa
George Aratani initially founded Mikasa as American Commercial Inc. in the state of California in 1948. Initially a dinnerware importer, Mikasa grew into a dinnerware wholesaler over the next twenty years, supplying dinnerware to Bloomingdales, Macys and other fine retailer. In 1957, the brand name Mikasa was introducted to the American public.
During the 1970s, Mikasa augmented its dinnerware lines with the introduction of crystal stemware, stainless flatware, crystal gifts, and picture frames, creamic vases, table linens and decorative accessories. In 2000, ARC International purchased Mikasa. In 2008, Lifetime Brands, Inc. acquired Mikasa. Mikasa's corporate headquarters are currently located in Secausus, New Jersey and markets it products throughout the United States and Canada.
Noritake
In 1878, Baron Ichizaemon Morimura established an import goods shop in New York, seeking free trade. He then went on to produce ceramics and establish business bases around the world. The founder's philosopy was to be happy and prosperous together with other people around the world. Present-day Noritake as a world brand still maintains this philosophy.
Besides being one of the largest general tableware manufacturers in the world, Noritake is also the only general manufacturer of grinking and polishing in Japan. Over a century since its foundation, Noritake has accumulated technology and know-how through tableware production, which have supported the colorful diversification of their business. Noritake has grown into a multiple corporate body that leads all the cutting-edge industries of industrial products, tabletop, electronics, ceramics and environmental engineering.
Peggy Karr
Peggy Karr Glass started in 1987 in Morristown, New Jersey, From a one-woman studio, Peggy Karr Glass has grown to the largest emnameled fused glass company in the world, located in Randolph, New Jersey.
Brightly decorated serving pieces, display pieces, ornaments, and small occasional tables are the mainstays of their business. Whether it's a design rich with the beauty of nature or one filled with the whimsy of a holdiay season, the use of pattern and color in this unique medium is with compare. Peggy Karr delivers "Art that has a place in you life".
Spode
Josiah Spode opened a factory in 1767 in Stoke-on-Trent, and in 1776 developed the current Spode factory. Spode became famous for perfecting the blue underglaze printing process in 1784 and for co-developing the formula for fine bone china.
Spode's Chrismas Tree was developed in 1938. The first sketch had all the presents suspended from the tree. The design was revised when it was explained that in the USA, all the presents were heaped on hte floor around the bottom of the tree, with only shiny decorations on the tree itself. They had no idea what to put at the top of the tree, and that is why the Spode Christmas Tree has a Santa at the top.
In 1976, Spode merged with Royal Worcester (another English manufacture of bone china and porcelain, founded in Worcester, England in 1751), and the two companies becam Royal Worcester Spode Limited, still producing their product in England.
Waechtersbach
Since 1832, Waechtersbach has been producing quality earthenware. Their unique brilliance and color are created from the special glazes used by the Waechtersbach technicians. Experience combined with craftsmanship and modern production technology acheive the unique and charming surface textures.
The color acheivements displayed in the Waechtersbach colors are proof of the high degree of craftsmanship. European manufactured, their quality dinnerware and accessories are available in the US through Waechtersbach USA, founded in 1975.