In the late ’40s, two gentlemen from Bedford Village, New York, had an idea. While working with their friends in carriage trade showrooms and design houses, they noticed that thousands of yards of second-quality fabrics were being thrown out or given away. These fabrics, called seconds, had only slight imperfections in printing or weaving, but could not be sold by fabric merchants. So in 1948, they opened a small store and named it Calico. Customers told their friends about the unbelievable values on designer fabrics, and Calico grew rapidly from coast to coast. In the next 60 years, Calico grew to offer the world’s best collection of both first- and second-quality decorative fabrics, along with an unparalleled array of customized home decorating services to make it all happen beautifully. And with over 70 stores nationwide, they’re still able to offer these fabrics at just a fraction of the regular retail price.
