In 1949, three college friends launched the Holt-Howard Company with a family loan of $9,000 to import and sell kitschy decorative objects. Robert Howard was in charge of developing products and sourcing, his brother John Howard handled sales, and their friend Grant Holt managed the financial side of the business. Many vintage Holt-Howard ceramics are marked with a date and copyright, and some pieces included an oval or rectangular foil label reading “HH Japan.” The Holt-Howard Company was purchased by General Housewares Corporation in 1968 and by the mid-’70s, all three of the founders had moved on from the company. In 1990, the name was sold to Kay Dee Designs, which no longer produces any Holt-Howard branded products.
