Levenger Company
Encyclopedia
Levenger Company is a specialty retail company established in 1987 in Belmont, Massachusetts
, a suburb of Boston. The company sells leather goods, furniture, writing instruments (including fountain pens), and office accessories, including its proprietary Circa disc-binding
notebook system. Many of its products are designed and produced exclusively. It also publishes several books a year through its Levenger Press imprint and positions itself as a destination for organizers and thinkers. Products are sold through its catalogs, website, and stores in Chicago, the Washington, D.C. area (McLean, Virginia
), and Boston. The fulfillment and customer service center is in Memphis, Tennessee
, and its headquarters is in Delray Beach, Florida
.
and his wife, Lori Granger Leveen. The name “Levenger” was derived from their surnames, Leveen (Leve-) and Granger (-nger). Noticing a need for a good beside-the-bed reading lamp in their first home together in Belmont, Massachusetts
, and aware of the up-and-coming halogen
lighting technology, the Leveens placed an ad in The New Yorker
magazine and began selling lamps, using their neighbor’s garage as the fulfillment center and their own spare bedroom as the main office. The first tagline was “Serious Lighting for Serious Readers.” The tagline later changed to “Tools for Serious Readers.”
Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census.- History :Belmont was founded on March 18, 1859 by former citizens of, and land from the bordering towns of Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then...
, a suburb of Boston. The company sells leather goods, furniture, writing instruments (including fountain pens), and office accessories, including its proprietary Circa disc-binding
Disc-binding
Disc-binding is a variation of notebook binding that allow pages to be added, removed, and replaced easily. Additionally pages can be transferred between notebooks of different functions and sizes....
notebook system. Many of its products are designed and produced exclusively. It also publishes several books a year through its Levenger Press imprint and positions itself as a destination for organizers and thinkers. Products are sold through its catalogs, website, and stores in Chicago, the Washington, D.C. area (McLean, Virginia
McLean, Virginia
McLean is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. The community had a total population of 48,115 as of the 2010 census....
), and Boston. The fulfillment and customer service center is in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, and its headquarters is in Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 60,020. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S...
.
History
Levenger was established in 1987 by Steve LeveenSteve Leveen
Steve Leveen is the CEO and co-founder with his wife, Lori Granger Leveen, of Levenger. Established in 1987, Levenger designs and sells high-end products geared toward reading, writing and working with ideas...
and his wife, Lori Granger Leveen. The name “Levenger” was derived from their surnames, Leveen (Leve-) and Granger (-nger). Noticing a need for a good beside-the-bed reading lamp in their first home together in Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census.- History :Belmont was founded on March 18, 1859 by former citizens of, and land from the bordering towns of Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then...
, and aware of the up-and-coming halogen
Halogen
The halogens or halogen elements are a series of nonmetal elements from Group 17 IUPAC Style of the periodic table, comprising fluorine , chlorine , bromine , iodine , and astatine...
lighting technology, the Leveens placed an ad in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine and began selling lamps, using their neighbor’s garage as the fulfillment center and their own spare bedroom as the main office. The first tagline was “Serious Lighting for Serious Readers.” The tagline later changed to “Tools for Serious Readers.”
Events and milestones
- 1990 - Levenger’s first catalog was mailed out.
- 1993 - Inc. (magazine)Inc. (magazine)Inc. magazine, founded in 1979 and based in New York City, is a monthly publication focused on growing companies. The magazine publishes an annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., the "Inc...
ranked Levenger as the eighth-fastest-growing privately held company in the United States.
- 1996 - The Levenger.com Web site became operational in July.
- 1998 - The company’s book-publishing imprint, Levenger Press, was launched in September, with titles including reprints of works by Robert Louis StevensonRobert Louis StevensonRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
and Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, plus Steve Leveen’s own The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life (2005).
- 2003 - The first Levenger store opens as a department inside a Marshall Field’s in downtown ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. That Marshall Field’s location is now a Macy’s.
- 2004 - Another store opens in BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
- 2006 - A new store opens in McLean, VirginiaMcLean, VirginiaMcLean is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. The community had a total population of 48,115 as of the 2010 census....
, on the outskirts of Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
- 2006/2007 - The warehouse and customer service center move from Delray Beach, FloridaDelray Beach, FloridaDelray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 60,020. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S...
, to Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
.
- 2007 - A new store opens in Boca Raton, FloridaBoca Raton, FloridaBoca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...
.