After 40 years at the helm of WT Wilson in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Bill Wilson is ready to move on. He and his brother Dana are winding down the company their father founded.
Luckily for retailers and consumers, the products that Bill and Dana made famous, like the Nativity Set, the12 Days of Christmas Spinning Ornaments, the Global Wildlife Collection, the Birthday Candle Train and the Name Train, will live on. In a deal signed in mid-April, Danforth Pewter of Middlebury, Vermont has acquired the rights to manufacture and market these and other Pewter Port lines.
Bill Wilson, owner of WT Wilson, said â Iâ m happy that these products have a new home. We put so much time and work into creating beautiful, extraordinary products, and Iâ m glad theyâ re going to still be available for our customers. Iâ ve known Fred and Judi Danforth for 30 years, and I trust their quality and customer service.â
According to Danforth co-founders Fred & Judi Danforth, â We have admired Billâ s talent for many years. Itâ s a thrill for us and our production team to be bringing some of his companyâ s finest creations into our line.â
Danforth CEO Bram Kleppner added â Weâ re honored that Bill chose Danforth to manufacture these products. This is great for us for several reasons. First, the products are beautiful and weâ re sure theyâ re going to sell well for the retailers who carry our lines, and in own stores, on our own websites, and in our catalog. Second, the many figurines are a great enhancement to our line ‘we didnâ t have anything like them. Third, some of these products, like the Birthday Candle Train, are products that we get regular requests for, and now weâ ll be able to give those customers what they want.â
WTWilson was founded in 1972 by William T. Wilson in Pawtucket, RI, and under his direction and then under his sons Bill and Dana, established and maintained a reputation as one of the leading manufacturers of high quality pewter giftware and collectibles in the country.
Fred and Judi Danforth founded Danforth Pewter in 1975 in Vermont. The company handcrafts a wide range of pewter giftware and home and personal accessories, and sells through a national network of independent gift stores, galleries, and museum stores, five company-owned stores in Vermont and Virginia, danforthpewter.com, shirleypewter.com and a catalog. Danforth also manufactures under contract for national brands like Life is good, and makes a full line of corporate gift and recognition pieces.
This is Danforthâ s second recent expansion, following their successful acquisition of Williamsburg, Virginiaâ s Shirley Pewter in 2009.
Danforth 5.4.2012