Lillian Vernon’s mail order business has grown from a black-and-white space ad to nine catalogs

By Alicia Orr , Editor In Chief and Catalog Success

Q. How was Lillian Vernon Corp. founded?
A. “I founded Lillian Vernon in 1951 when I was a young housewife expecting my first child, because I wanted to help supplement my husband’s income. Ignoring the belief that women should not work outside the home, I developed an idea to sell personalized handbags and belts by mail. I placed a $495 ad in Seventeen magazine using $2,000 of my wedding gift money, knowing that it would appeal to young women like myself. A year later, the ad brought in [a total of] $32,000 in orders and my company was launched.”