Ballard Designs
Ballard Designs is a catalog and online retail company that sells European-inspired home furnishings.[1] Its parent company is Cornerstone Brands and it is a subsidiary of HSN Inc. (NASDAQ: HSNI).[2] There are currently three retail stores, two in Florida and one in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. There are also three outlet stores, two near its corporate headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia and one near its distribution center in West Chester, Ohio.[3] Customers are able to shop in-store, online or through a catalog by calling a toll free number.[4]
History
Ballard Designs was founded in 1983 [5] by Helen Ballard. Ballard got her start in the retail industry after winning Metropolitan Home magazine's home decorating contest. When the photos of her Ansley Park condo were published, more than 500 readers contacted the magazine asking where they could buy Ballard's furniture and accessories, especially a dolphin-based table. A year later, Ballard quit her job, sold her home and started Ballard Designs.[1] The first catalog was a two-page black-and-white brochure featuring a replica of the dolphin-based table from her home. It became Ballard Designs' first big seller.[5]
In 1996 Ballard Designs merged with Cornerstone Brands,[5] publisher of several home and apparel catalogs, including Frontgate, Garnet Hill and Smith+Noble. Cornerstone Brands was acquired by IAC/InterActive Corp in 2005 and later became a subsidiary of HSN, Inc.[2] In 2007, Ballard Designs opened its first retail store in Tampa and expanded less than a year later to Jacksonville.[6]
Ballard continued to serve as Chief Executive Officer of Ballard Designs until she retired in 2002. She also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Cornerstone Brands.[7]
In December 2012, Ballard Designs launched the Ballard+ app, an augmented reality shopping application developed by Marxent Labs which allows consumers to interact with the Ballard Designs catalog using their iOS device.[8]
References
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