Miles Kimball

At twenty-nine years of age, Miles Kimball went into business for himself with a single idea for a Christmas card with a verse that spelled out the name "Johnson." With $500 of borrowed money and the Twin Cities' telephone directory, Miles printed and mailed samples of his card to every Johnson household in the Minneapolis area. Response was so enthusiastic that it provided enough seed money for Miles to produce his first black-and-white Miles Kimball catalog.

That was over 70 years ago. Today, Miles Kimball is a leading direct marketer of consumer gifts and household products with operations in Wisconsin, Nevada and Colorado. The business now consists of 6 (six) distinct catalog units: Christmas Cards by Miles Kimball, Miles Kimball, and Exposures, The Home MarketPlace, Walter Drake and Easy Comforts. In the year 2005, over 55 million catalogs were mailed to households all across the nation, producing over $180 million in sales. Product lines are diverse - ranging from affordably priced gifts and household gadgets, to photo storage and display, to fine home furnishings.

Christmas cards - the idea that started it all - are still designed and produced in Oshkosh, along with a number of stationery items including calendars, address labels and photo products. Personalization continues to be a hallmark of the company. Hundreds of items are personalized via heat transfer, hand painting, printing, embroidery and engraving.

For more information, please visit the www.mileskimball.com web site.