Ballard Designs

Ballard Designs is an omnichannel retail company that designs and sells home furniture and accessories with a European influence. Formally part of Cornerstone Brands, a subsidiary of HSN Inc. (NASDAQ: HSNI), the company is now one of the Qurate Retail portfolio brands, collectively owned by Qurate Retail Group (NASDAQ: QRTEA, QRTEB). There are currently 13 retail stores: Two in Florida (Tampa and Jacksonville), Oak Brook, Illinois, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, Natick, Massachusetts, Atlanta, Georgia(Flagship Store since 2018), Tysons Corner, Virginia, Garden City, New York, Charlotte, North Carolina, Nashville, Tennessee and 3 in Texas(Fort Worth, Dallas, and Houston). There are also three outlet stores: one near its corporate headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, one near its distribution center in West Chester, Ohio, a third in Louisville, Kentucky, and a fourth in Margate, Florida that closed in 2020. The company also publishes a design blog as a resource for ideas and decorating advice on interior design and entertaining. Customers are able to shop in-store, online or through a catalog.
== History ==
Ballard Designs was founded in 1983  by Helen Ballard. Ballard got her start in the retail industry after winning Metropolitan Home magazine's home decorating contest. When the photos of her Ansley Park condo were published, more than 500 readers contacted the magazine asking where they could buy Ballard's furniture and accessories, especially a dolphin-based table. A year later, Ballard quit her job, sold her home and started Ballard Designs. The first catalog was a two-page black-and-white brochure featuring a replica of the dolphin-based table from her home. It became Ballard Designs' first big seller.
In 1996 Ballard Designs merged with Cornerstone Brands, publisher of several home and apparel catalogs, including Frontgate, Garnet Hill and Smith+Noble. Cornerstone Brands was acquired by IAC/InterActive Corp in 2005 and later became a subsidiary of HSN, Inc. In 2007, Ballard Designs opened its first retail store in Tampa and expanded less than a year later to Jacksonville.
Ballard continued to serve as Chief Executive Officer of Ballard Designs until she retired in 2002. She also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Cornerstone Brands.
In 2010, the company partnered with designer Suzanne Kasler to create its first designer collection. In December 2012, Ballard Designs launched the Ballard+ app, an augmented reality shopping application developed by Marxent Labs which allows consumers to interact with the Ballard Designs catalog using their iOS device. The app has since been discontinued. Two years later, renowned interior designer and entertaining expert, Bunny Williams, became the second major designer to offer a signature collection under the Ballard Designs brand. Internationally noted designer Miles Redd was welcomed by the brand in 2017 with a collection of furniture and accessories inspired by classic architecture and old Hollywood. That same year, Ballard's parent company, HSN Inc., was acquired by Liberty Interactive, owner of QVC Home Shopping Network. Liberty Interactive was renamed Qurate Retail Group in 2018.
Today, Ballard Designs circulates more than 45 million catalogs annually, operates an e-commerce website, and maintains a decorating blog and podcast.
Category:Mall Retailers
Category:Furniture Stores
Category:Retailers
Category:Companies
Category:Franchises
Category:Brands