Pfaltzgraff is an American

kitchenware :'' For a record label, see Kitchenware Records'' Kitchenware are the tools, utensils, appliances, dishes, and cookware used in food preparation, or the serving of food. Kitchenware can also be used in order to hold or store food before or aft ...

brand of dinnerware, serveware, drinkware and flatware.

History

It is commonly reported that the Pfaltzgraff company was founded in 1811 in

York County, Pennsylvania York County ( Pennsylvania Dutch: Yarrick Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 456,438. Its county seat is York. The county was created on August 19, 1749, from part of Lancaster ...

, by several members of the Pfaltzgraff family who were

potters A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US * Potter, Arkansas *Potter, Nebraska * Potters, New Jer ...

. The most notable member was Johann George Pfaltzgraff, who arrived in York County from Germany in 1833. Johann knew the trade well and passed his skills on to his seven sons. After Johann died in 1873, the family business was carried on by three of his children: John, George, and Henry. The business became official in 1889 when George and Henry started a partnership that would become ''The Pfaltzgraff Co.'' The first factory was built in 1895. The business continued to grow, and in 1960, Pfaltzgraff opened their first

retail store Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

under the name ''Pottery Hill.'' During the 1950s and 1960s, the products were mostly sold in

specialty store A specialty store is a shop/store that carries a deep assortment of brands, styles, or models within a relatively narrow category of goods. Furniture stores, florists, sporting goods stores, and bookstores are all specialty stores. Stores such as A ...

s, but in the 1970s, the business made a strategic decision to sell in higher-end

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

s, such as G. Fox & Co. and

Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

. The Pfaltzgraff Co. was sold to Lifetime Brands, Inc. in 2005. At its height, the company owned and operated 67 stores throughout the U.S., as well as an online presence at www.pfaltzgraff.com. In 2009, Lifetime Brands opted to close all 67 stores and maintain sales only through their Internet presence. The company continues to produce a product line currently consisting of dinnerware, glassware, flatware, and other kitchen preparatory and cooking tools.

Cultural impact

Several lines of Pfaltzgraff glazed earthenwares have featured among the 100 most popular ceramic designs."Appendix A: 100 Most Popular Patterns" listed from the records of Replacements.com and illustrated in ''Dish: 813 Colorful, Wonderful Dinner Plates'' Shax Riegler. 2011. pp256ff. A large mural depicting Pfaltzgraff's history was painted in York, Pennsylvania in 1998.

References

External links

The York Daily Record: ''Never to be forgotten: A year-by-year look at York County's past (Internet Archive)''
— 1800–1815 section, see 1811: ''Conewago Township – Pfaltzgraff pottery starts small''. {{Authority control 1889 establishments in Pennsylvania American brands American companies established in 1889 Ceramics manufacturers of the United States Companies based in York County, Pennsylvania Design companies established in 1889 Kitchenware brands Manufacturing companies based in Pennsylvania Manufacturing companies established in 1889 York, Pennsylvania Cutlery brands