Thinking Outside the Box

The Ross-Simons catalog got its start in 1981 off the launching pad of a successful family jewelry store business that was founded in 1952 by Sidney and Lillian Ross. After expanding its retail presence in Rhode Island during the sixties and seventies, the company entered the direct response sales arena in the ‘70s as a means of expanding its market share; it used a small space ad with a toll-free number to sell pewter salt-and-pepper shakers.