china company type private industry ceramics founded 1871 as laughlin pottery headquarters newell west virginia website www.hlcdinnerware.com the homer laughlin china company is an american pottery company based in newell west virginia which is best known for producing the fiesta line of dinnerware . contents 1 history 2 dinnerware lines 3 references 4 further reading 5 external links history edit the visitor s entrance at the homer laughlin china company . the homer laughlin china company initially began as laughlin pottery in east liverpool ohio . the company was started in 1871 by brothers shakespeare and homer laughlin however shakespeare would later leave the company in 1879 . 1 2 in 1889 william edwin wells joined homer and seven years later the two would incorporate . homer would sell his interest to wells shortly thereafter . the firm experienced rapid growth and opened a facility in newell west virginia in 1903 . 3 by the late 1920s all production was centered at the west virginia factory and the ohio site was abandoned . peak production for the company was in 1948 when they produced 10 129 449 dishes . 4 in 2010 homer laughlin purchased hall china 5 as of 2015 the company continues to manufacture all of its products in the united states . 6 a visitor center museum and factory outlet are maintained at its headquarters . dinnerware lines edit the retailing floor at the company s factory outlet store . in the 1920s the firm advertised itself as the largest pottery company in the world citation needed . estimates of production range from 25 000 to 35 000 different patterns since production started . fiesta homer laughlin began producing the popular and colorful fiesta line of dinnerware in 1936 . fiesta dinnerware continued to be produced through the late 1960s with a number of new colors offered before the entire line was phased out in 1973 . fiesta was re introduced by the company in 1986 and remains in production to this day . 7 the new fiesta line contains a number of pieces produced from the original molds as well as brand new pieces designed for modern day use . like the original line the current day production features an evolving number of colors . other retail lines in addition to fiesta two other lines of colorful dinnerware in bright solid colored glazes were introduced in the 1930s . harlequin was introduced in 1938 as a less expensive alternative to fiesta available at woolworth s stores . they also produced riviera dinnerware 1938 which is distinctive for its triple scalloped edges . riviera was available in red yellow light green mauve blue ivory during the war and occasionally cobalt blue . production of riviera ended circa 1948 49 . harlequin was produced until 1964 and was briefly reintroduced in 1979 for the 100th anniversary of woolworth s . epicure a line based on popular colors and shapes of the 1950s was introduced in 1955 and was designed by a student of russel wright . wright s own dinnerware lines were made by homer laughlin rival steubenville pottery in nearby steubenville ohio . epicure today is a sought after collectable but it was not well received when introduced and was dropped only 1 year after its debut . wholesale lines a key part of homer laughlin s business yesterday and today is its hotel and restaurant lines . 4 fiestaware is also sold to trade accounts clarification needed . government lines hlc maintains contracts with the federal government to supply china and dinnerware for a range of functions . this includes formal dinners to dinnerware for use by us troops at base camps and in the field . a number of these designs are exclusive to the us government . golden wheat line homer laughlin company produced the golden wheat line between 1949 and 1966 . these pieces were added to duz detergent boxes as an enticement to buyers . 8 these dishes feature a center picture of wheat bending in the wind with a trim on the edge in 22k gold . references edit this article needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . february 2008 learn how and when to remove this template message press reference library notables of the southwest the los angeles examiner 1912 p. 45 . strum dave . brief history of the homer laughlin company . robbins nest . retrieved 2014 10 16 . homer laughlin history . replacements ltd. retrieved 2014 10 16 . a b homer laughlin china company 1877 present . carnegie public library east liverpool ohio . retrieved 2014 10 16 . homer laughlin hall china to merge . manufacturing.net . the homer laughlin company manufacturers of the iconic brand fiesta dinnerware . 2013 11 11 . retrieved 2014 10 16 . linda wertheimer director 2014 10 16 . w.va . pottery company keeps popular fiesta line alive and thriving . national public radio . retrieved 2014 10 16 . missing or empty series help alliance golden wheat china replacement . robbins nest . retrieved 2014 10 16 . collectors encyclopedia of fiesta 7th edition huxford . collector books division of schroeder publishing inc. collectors encyclopedia of russel wright 2nd edition kerr . further reading edit berkow nancy pratt . fiesta ware . des moines wallace homestead book co. 1978 . cunningham jo . homer laughlin china 1940 s & 1950 s. atglen pa schiffer publishing ltd. 2000 . cunningham jo . homer laughlin china a giant among dishes 1873 1939 . atglen pa schiffer pub . 1998 . homer laughlin china collectors association . fiesta harlequin & kitchen kraft tablewares the homer laughlin china collectors association guide . atglen pa schiffer pub . 2000 . huxford sharon & bob huxford . the collectors encyclopedia of fiesta with harlequin and riviera . paducah ky collector books 1992 . jasper joanne . the collector s encyclopedia of homer laughlin china reference & value guide . paducah ky collector books 1993 . page bob dale frederiksen and dean six . homer laughlin decades of dinnerware . greensboro nc page frederiksen publications 2003 . racheter richard g. collector s guide to homer laughlin s virginia rose identification & values . paducah ky collector books 1997 . racheter richard g. virginia rose . antiques & collecting magazine 100 aug. 1995 18 20 . schneider mike . fiesta a rainbow at the table . antiques & collecting hobbies 93 aug. 1988 24 8 . snyder jeffrey b. fiesta the homer laughlin china company s colorful dinnerware . atglen pa schiffer pub . 2000 . external links edit official website museum of ceramics d i s h e s a documentary about collecting fiesta dishware . homer laughlin china date codes . the restaurant ware collectors network . retrieved 2014 10 16 . v t e pittsburgh corporations within the pittsburgh metro area fortune 500 headquarters u.s. steel pnc financial services ppg industries kraft heinz mylan wesco international consol energy dick s sporting goods allegheny technologies forbes largest private companies headquarters 84 lumber giant eagle other corporation headquarters american bridge american eagle outfitters ampco pittsburgh ansys armstrong communications atlas america bruster s ice cream calgon carbon chemadvisor college prowler compunetix dollar bank dqe energy eat n park edmc eqt energy federated investors gnc guru.com highmark h. laughlin china igate ii vi incorporated iron city brewing company kennametal koppers marc usa millcraft industries mine safety appliances niche.com oxford development ptc alliance rue21 university of pittsburgh medical center vocelli pizza wabtec companies with split headquarters alcoa modcloth nova chemicals subsidiary company headquarters allegheny energy bayer usa fedex ground glaxosmithkline usa lanxess respironics vivisimo westinghouse electric company outside companies with strong pittsburgh relations bny mellon formerly mellon financial dreyfus corporation eaton corporation spreadshirt macy s list of corporations in pittsburgh retrieved from https 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