DUBLIN – The Irish-based owners of Wedgwood, Waterford, Royal Doulton and Rosenthal have put the company into receivership, the British word for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The 1986 merger of the two into Waterford Wedgwood PLC, with ticker WTFU, was a mistake; a company like Waterford or Wedgwood is NOT aboutMORE HERE
A local’s take on the problems at the storied West Virginia resort. Dear BrandlandUSA: “The Greenbrier has struggled with the union for years. Another problem has been that management has fleeced them too. If a person works for the Greenbrier from the President to a store manager, they have fullMORE HERE
Twelve Ways to Rethink The Greenbrier brand WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS – The West Virginia resort The Greenbrier is apparently losing $15 million a year for its parent company CSX. The railroad (NYSE: CSX) is considering everything, according to the January 2, 2008 Wall Street Journal. Goldman Sachs is apparently comingMORE HERE
In honor of pre-Revolutionary Cuba, we examine Havana-related brand names HAVANA – We all have nostalgia for pre-Castro Cuba, and this is the year to remember what was, especially as Jan 1 is the 50th anniversary of when Fidel Castro declared victory over Fulgencio Batista‘s government. We can look backMORE HERE
RICHMOND — Original neon signs from two well-known Virginia retailers have been restored to original working condition and are on display at the Valentine Richmond History Center. The exterior sign from the former Mill End Shop in Richmond ‘s Carytown and a mid-century A&N Store sign join the History Center’sMORE HERE
One of the many retail brands that was part of the old American F. W. Woolworth was Anderson-Little Co. But just as they did with Kinney and Woolworth’s itself, the mismanagement at Woolworth (now Foot Locker, at NYSE: FL) ruined Anderson-Little, which was the original factory to you retailer. AMORE HERE
SEAGROVE, N.C. – Our friend Doug Dobey, that fantastico Richmond, Virginia graphic designer, says that he is getting out the Luck’s Black Eyed Peas for the New Year’s Holiday. Add to it some stewed tomatoes and you have a VERY odd Southern tradition. We aren’t that big fans of blackMORE HERE
PALM BEACH – Those search for defunct colognes and perfumes often have a hard time. An essay in The Wall Street Journal By André Aciman tells of his search for Aria Di Palma, a cologne his father wore at a New York store called Battaglia. Aciman found the cologne, afterMORE HERE
EL MONTE – We happened upon the Driftwood Dairy while watching the 2000 comedy movie Ready To Rumble. The California dairy makes a cameo as a place where Gordie Boggs (David Arquette) and Sean Dawkins (Scott Caan) stop after hitching a ride with some nuns singing “Running with the Devil.”MORE HERE
More than Bundt MINNEAPOLIS – One of the great Made in USA companies is Nordic Ware, inventors of the Bundt pan. Nordic Ware was founded in 1946 by H. David and Dorothy Dalquist. Their first products were kitchenware for the ethnic market, including the Rosette Iron, Ebleskiver Pan and KrumkakeMORE HERE