Home decor merchant Plow and Hearth has added a new brand to its online stable: WinterthurStore.com. And it plans to mail a print catalog to accompany the Website in the spring, says Lynn Gore, vice president of marketing for Plow & Hearth.
The WinterthurStore.com website, launched Nov. 1, sells home and garden decor, gifts and seasonal items. The merchandise is inspired by the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, a Winterthur, DE-based organization that focused preserving the estate of antiques collector and horticulturist Henry Francis du Pont.
Winterthur had mailed a gift catalog for more than 20 years. The book was acquired by multititle mailer Bluesky Brands in 2006; BlueSky shut down operations two years later. Winterthur’s last catalog was published in December 2008, Gore says.
How did Plow & Hearth get involved with Winterthur? Gore says officials from the merchant met with Rob Necarsulmer, the chief financial officer for Winterthur, a few years ago.
Plow & Hearth at the time was owned by 1-800-Flowers.com; 1-800-Flowers sold the catalog as part of its home and children’s gifts business a year ago. “Earlier this year we reconnected, and the timing was right for both organizations to start working together,” Gore says.
Madison, VA-based Plow & Hearth did not acquire Winterthur; rather, it is licensing the brand, Gore says. It named the business WinterthurStore to differentiate it from the museum.
The Plow & Hearth merchandising and marketing teams are working closely with the staff at Winterthur to ensure that the brand is portrayed consistently. For instance, both websites use common branding elements and information, and links are shared across both sites.
“The Plow & Hearth and WinterthurStore customers are similar from a demographic standpoint, but different in personal style,” Gore explains.
WinterthurStore will expand the audience we can service by offering home and garden items that are inspired by the Winterthur Museum.”