Timeline At A Glance

  • 1947 — Chuck Williams moves to Sonoma, CA.
  • 1956 — Chuck Williams opens first Williams-Sonoma store in Sonoma, CA.
  • 1958 — Store moves to San Francisco, CA. In-store bridal registry is started.
  • 1972 — First Williams-Sonoma catalog is mailed.
  • 1972 — Williams-Sonoma is incorporated.
  • 1973 — Second Williams-Sonoma store is opened in Beverly Hills, CA, followed by a third in Palo Alto, CA, and a fourth in Costa Mesa, CA.
  • 1976 — Distribution center opens in Emeryville, CA.
  • 1978 — Howard Lester and Jay McMahan purchase Williams-Sonoma, Inc. First out-of-state Williams-Sonoma store opens in Dallas, TX.
  • 1982 — Gardeners Eden catalog is purchased (sold in 1999).
  • 1983 — Williams-Sonoma, Inc. goes public on the NASDAQ under the symbol WSGC.
  • 1983 — First mailing of the Hold Everything catalog.
  • 1984 — 450,000 sq. ft. distribution center opens in Memphis, TN.
  • 1985 — First Hold Everything store opens in Corte Madera, CA.
  • 1986 — 21 Pottery Barn stores are purchased.
  • 1986 — First Williams-Sonoma cookbook is published.
  • 1987 — First mailing of the Pottery Barn catalog.
  • 1989 — First mailing of the Chambers catalog.
  • 1991 — Memphis distribution center is expanded by 307,000 sq. ft.
  • 1991 — Nationally-linked, computerized bridal registry launches in all Williams-Sonoma stores.
  • 1992 — First of the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library cookbooks is published.
  • 1992 — Chuck Williams receives first annual "Retailer of the Year" award at San Francisco Gourmet Products Show.
  • 1993 — Total number of stores exceeds 200.
  • 1994 — Chuck Williams is named to the "Who's Who of Food and Beverage" by the James Beard Foundation.
  • 1994 — Launch of the Williams-Sonoma Grande Cuisine and Pottery Barn Design Studio store formats.
  • 1994 — Chuck Williams' Simple American Cooking and Gifts from the Kitchen books are published.
  • 1995 — Pottery Barn gift registry is launched.
  • 1995 — Chuck Williams is awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the James Beard Foundation.
  • 1996 — Williams-Sonoma celebrates its 40th anniversary.
  • 1996 — Customer Care Center opens in Summerlin, NV.
  • 1996 — The ten millionth Williams-Sonoma cookbook is printed, making it the best-selling cookbook series of the 1990s.
  • 1997 — Chuck Williams publishes Celebrating the Pleasures of Cooking, a history of food in America.
  • 1998 — Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is listed on the NYSE under the symbol WSM.
  • 1998 — Williams-Sonoma, Inc. corporate website is launched.
  • 1998 — Second Customer Care Center opens in Oklahoma City, OK.
  • 1998 — Williams-Sonoma, Inc. exceeds $1 billion in sales.
  • 1999 — Williams-Sonoma online bridal registry is launched.
  • 1999 — Williams-Sonoma.com is launched.
  • 1999 — Introduction of the Pottery Barn Kids catalog.
  • 1999 — Number of stores passes 300 milestone.
  • 2000 — Introduction of the Pottery Barn Bed + Bath catalog.
  • 2000 — PotteryBarn.com is launched.
  • 2000 — First Pottery Barn Kids store opens in Costa Mesa, CA, followed closely by 7 additional stores nationwide.
  • 2000 — Third Customer Care Center opens in Camp Hill, PA.
  • 2001 — Pottery Barn & Pottery Barn Kids online registries launched.
  • 2001 — First Canadian Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids stores open.
  • 2001 — Chuck Williams inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Culinary Institute of America.
  • 2002 — Introduction of west elm catalog.
  • 2003 — Introduction of the PBteen catalog.
  • 2003 — Pottery Barn Design Library is launched.
  • 2003 — pbteen.com is launched.
  • 2003 — westelm.com is launched.
  • 2003 — First west elm store opens in Brooklyn, NY.
  • 2004 — Introduction of Williams-Sonoma Home catalog.
  • 2004 — Chambers catalog ends 15 years of circulation and merges into the new Williams Sonoma Home brand.
  • 2005 — First Williams-Sonoma Home store opens in Beverly Hills, CA.
  • 2006 — WSHome.com is launched.
  • 2006 — Williams Sonoma, Inc. celebrates 50 years.
  • 2006 — Hold everything stores close.
  • 2006 — Williams-Sonoma, Inc., achieves significant environmental goal; paper from sustainable harvested sources to be used in all catalogs.