MacKenzie-Childs

MacKenzie-Childs, Ltd. is a manufacturer of ceramics and home decor retailer. The company is based in Aurora, New York, and was founded in 1983 by Victoria and Richard MacKenzie-Childs.

The company is recognized for its "Courtly Checks" black-and-white checkerboard pattern.

History
In 1983, the founders started a business making ceramic goods under the name Victoria and Richard MacKenzie Childs, Ltd. After the registration lapsed, the company was registered as MacKenzie-Childs, Ltd. in 1997.

In 2000, MacKenzie-Childs, Ltd. entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following financial difficulties including a $15.3 million debt to BSB Bank & Trust, a 25 to 55 percent price increase, an expensive advertising campaign, and two long-term leases for unopened retail locations on Rodeo Drive and Madison Avenue.

Pleasant Rowland, founder of American Girl, purchased MacKenzie-Childs, Ltd. from bankruptcy court for $5.5 million in 2001. Since the founders of the company still owed a debt to BSB Bank & Trust, Rowland offered Victoria and Richard MacKenzie-Childs $10 million contingent upon a non-compete agreement. The founders refused to sign the agreement, filed for personal bankruptcy, and allegedly gave up all rights to the MacKenzie-Childs name.

As part of a larger project led by the Aurora Foundation to revitalize and redevelop the town, Rowland's purchase ensured that the company would remain headquartered in Aurora. The purchase of MacKenzie-Childs, Ltd. was one of many multi-million dollar investments Rowland made in Aurora, where she attended Wells College in the 1960s.

Rowland began restructuring the home decor company to ensure its profitability. In 2005, the company laid off 20 of 240 employees and restructured the management team. In 2007, Rowland announced her intention to find a buyer having "accomplished her turnaround goals with the company."

In 2006, MacKenzie-Childs, Ltd. sued founders Victoria and Richard MacKenzie-Childs. The founders had started a new business using the mark "Victoria and Richard." The lawsuit cited trademark violation, as their last name and trademarks referencing it, had allegedly been sold off in the bankruptcy proceedings. The founders countersued Rowland for attaching their name to designs they did not create.

In 2008, Rowland sold the company to Lee Feldman and Howard Cohen, partners at the Twin Lakes Capital equity firm based in Rochester and Manhattan. "Pleasant Rowland and her management team have transformed this company and built a celebrated brand with exceptional customer loyalty, and we believe we can add value as MacKenzie-Childs pursues its growth potential," Feldman commented.

In 2014, Castanea Partners, a private equity firm, invested in Aurora Brands (the owner of MacKenzie-Childs, Ltd.)

In 2018, MacKenzie-Childs, Ltd. acquired Patience Brewster Inc. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Patience Brewster, an upstate New York book illustrator and ornament designer, joined the company's creative team. MacKenzie-Child, Ltd. and Brewster pursued the design and development of products for the Patience Brewster by MacKenzie-Childs collection.

Annual events
MacKenzie-Childs, Ltd. is well-known for its annual Barn Sale. The company headquarters were built on a dairy farm built in the late 1800s and renovated between 2001 and 2003. The sale began in a single tent in 1996 and grew to thousands of customers at the Aurora-based campus every year.

In 2017, the Barn Sale drew more than 26,000 shoppers to the company's 65-acre property in Aurora, making the event one of the premier draws for tourists in Cayuga County. Held over four days, the sale draws shoppers for discounts ranging between from 40 percent to 80 percent off retail price.

After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the MacKenzie-Childs Barn Sale moved online-only. The Barn Sale resumed in-person shopping in July 2023.