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Williams Sonoma is an American retailer of cookware, appliances, and home furnishings. It is owned by Williams-Sonoma, Inc., and was founded by Charles E. (Chuck) Williams in 1956.
After customer requests, Williams relocated the store to San Francisco in 1958. The store quickly became a destination with culinary figures such as Julia Child and James Beard becoming customers of the flagship location. In 1972, along with—and at the suggestion of—regular customer Jackie Mallorca, Williams began publishing a mail order catalog to expand his business beyond the San Francisco Bay Area. At the suggestion of customer and friend Edward Marcus, of Dallas-based Neiman Marcus, Williams decided to expand the company and formed the corporation, Williams-Sonoma, Inc., in 1972.
The second Williams Sonoma store opened on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills in 1973. The same year, Williams Sonoma introduced the Cuisinart food processor to the American market through its stores and catalog. Williams decided to sell his share of the company in 1978 to W. Howard Lester, an Oklahoma entrepreneur, and businessman James McMahan. Williams maintained an ownership interest and guided the selection of merchandise and the production of the catalog. Lester took an active role as president and chief executive, while McMahan was the company director. At the time, Williams Sonoma had revenues of $4 million.
The company partnered with Time Life in 1992 to release its first series of Williams Sonoma Kitchen Library cookbooks. In 1999, Williams Sonoma launched an e-commerce website and bridal registry.
In 2004, Williams Sonoma entered into an agreement with the CBS News weekday program The Early Show to broadcast a segment, "The 5-Minute Cooking School", which presented cooking techniques, styles, and recipes. The special weekly series was televised from Williams Sonoma's East Coast flagship store at The Shops at Columbus Circle in New York City's Time Warner Center. This was followed by the debut of upscale Williams Sonoma Home in 2005.
Williams Sonoma opened a store at the site of its original location in Sonoma, California, in 2014. Williams Sonoma founder Chuck Williams celebrated his 99th birthday on the store's opening on October 2, 2014.
Williams Sonoma products have been featured numerous times on The Oprah Winfrey Shows Oprah's Favorite Things specials including Williams Sonoma Home bedding (2004), Williams Sonoma's croissants (2002, 2005, and 2010), Williams Sonoma's melamine mixing bowls, measuring cups, and measuring spoons (2007), Perfect Ending Cupcakes and Breville Ikon Panino Press (sold by Williams Sonoma) (2007), and Williams Sonoma's Waring Popcorn Maker (2014).
In the film The Muse, all the kitchen supplies used to manufacture the wives' cookies were purchased at Williams Sonoma. In the musical Dear Edwina, one song references "Williams" and "Sonoma" as being people that sing along with the Fairy Forkmother to teach a chef how to set a table.
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