Lillian Vernon

Lillian Vernon Corporation is an American catalog merchant and online retailer that sells household, children's and fashion accessory products. In business since 1952 (when it was founded by housewife Lillian Hochberg out of her Mount Vernon, New York apartment; the business name is a combination of her first name and her hometown and members of her family still make up some of the corporate officers), they publish five catalog titles: "Lillian Vernon", "Favorites", "Lilly's Kids", "Personalized Gifts" and a sale catalog.

Lillian Vernon's corporate headquarters is located in White Plains, New York. On June 13, 2006, the company announced it would move its headquarters to Virginia Beach, Virginia. [ [http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=105921&ran=152004&tref=po Hamptonroads.com] ] This is part of a plan to consolidate their resources, as their national distribution center is already located in Virginia Beach.

On February 15 2008, following a particularly bad holiday season, Lillian Vernon gave notice to half the employees in its headquarters and distribution facilities that they were being laid off. The following Wednesday, February 20, the company announced that it was filing for bankruptcy and that it would either be sold, or wind down the business. [ [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jPC3YMx4-HrHFbDQb4CU0mu-ps8AD8UU6JAG1
] ]

Trivia

*Several Hollywood celebrities began their careers as Lillian Vernon models including Jason Biggs, Monica Potter and Marla Maples. [According to the company's [http://www.lillianvernon.com/custserv/about_us.jsp official website] ]
*Useless products from the similarly named but imaginary Lillian Verner company are featured in The Lillian Verner Game Show, a recurring game show spoof on the television sketch comedy series MADtv.
*Lillian Vernon was given the lowest score (55 out of 100) of any rated apparel company in the Human Rights Campaign's 2008 Corporate Equality Index, a measure of Gay and Lesbian workplace equality. [http://www.hrc.org/documents/HRC_Corporate_Equality_Index_2008.pdf "2008 Corporate Equality Index". Accessed 27 November 2007.] .

Awards and Honors

Ms. Vernon is a recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.lillianvernon.com Official Site]