Post job

Mikasa company history timeline

1936

Mikasa's predecessor was a company named All Star Trading, founded in 1936.

1948

George Aratani founded Mikasa as "American Commercial Inc." in the state of California in 1948.

1965

He joined Mikasa as a commissioned sales representative for western Canada in 1965, when the California-based company was collecting $5 million a year in sales.

In 1965, the company's path crossed with a young department store merchandiser named Alfred Blake, who was impressed by the Mikasa designs he saw while working with Hudson's Bay stores in Canada.

1976

When Alfred Funabashi died in 1976, the impressive Blake was named president and began working alongside George Aratani.

1978

He opened a showroom in New York City, where the company's tableware was showcased in mid-Manhattan, and in 1978 he directed the company's foray into the retail sector, establishing an outlet store in a warehouse in Secaucus, New Jersey--the first of many more to follow.

1991

In 1991, Mikasa formed a joint marketing venture named Mikasa Europe Distribution with a German partner to market the company's products in Europe.

1996

Mikasa broke ground on the project in March 1996, when construction began in Charleston, South Carolina.

1997

By 1997, after recording $372.3 million in sales for the previous year, the company had 140 stores in 40 states and contracted the production of its products at 150 factories in 22 countries.

2001

An American Son: The Story of George Aratani Founder of Mikas and Kenwood, 2001.

Work at Mikasa?
Share your experience
Founded
1936
Company founded
Headquarters
Secaucus, NJ
Company headquarter
Get updates for jobs and news

Rate Mikasa's efforts to communicate its history to employees.

Zippia waving zebra

Mikasa jobs

Do you work at Mikasa?

Is Mikasa's vision a big part of strategic planning?

Mikasa competitors

Mikasa history FAQs

Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Mikasa, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Mikasa. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Mikasa. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Mikasa. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Mikasa and its employees or that of Zippia.

Mikasa may also be known as or be related to Mikasa, Mikasa Inc, Mikasa Inc. and Mikasa, Inc.