While serving in the U.S. Army, Kurt Adler worked in the procurement department securing necessary goods from all over the world. In the army, he was taught logistics and how to source merchandise. Kurt S. Adler, Inc. as we know it began after the end of World War II, when Kurt brought these skills with him and tried his hand at exporting general goods to countries needing product after the war. As the business grew and European economies began to recover, he changed direction to importing. In the 1950's, ornaments were first offered. Beautiful handmade angels from East and West Germany found an enthusiastic audience in America. The line was expanded with glass ornaments from Czechoslovakia, hanging ceiling decorations from Germany, and miniature lights from Italy. Suddenly, America was ablaze with festive decorations that offered a European flair.
Now, almost 75 years later, Kurt S. Adler, Inc. is the leading importer and distributor of holiday decorations. With headquarters in New York City and a state of the art distribution center, the business continues today to be run by Kurt Adler’s children—Howard, Clifford, and Karen. It has also become a third generation family business as Kurt's grandchildren have joined the company, continuing to uphold its long standing values. As a family-run company, we strive to make all employees, customers and vendors feel as though they are also a part of the family with customers and employees going as far back as 30, 40, and even 50 years! Our customers can attest to our high quality products that contain both the latest trends, and classic pieces. Kurt Adler and the Santa’s World brand showcase talented designers and iconic licenses with products from some 200 factories in 15 countries. We exhibit at several shows throughout the year, and have multiple showrooms across the country that are open year-round. Each of our showrooms is staffed with experienced salespeople who are eager to help. Our products range from tree ornaments, hand-crafted nutcrackers, and lighting, to garlands, stockings, nativity sets, table pieces and so much more. We have a variety of recognizable brand names and licenses such as Santa’s World™, Steinbach™, Fabriche’™, Noble Gems™, Hollywood Nutcrackers™, Coca-Cola®, Disney® and more. We are the one-stop shop for all your holiday needs.
We believe that a holiday ornament holds sentimental value and is the pathway to vivid memories. An ornament allows these memories to be reflected upon year after year, and inspires people to relive that memory. With over 20,000 items to use as inspiration, we are also able to create special, unique souvenir items for a wide array of companies. We strive to be the authority and to maintain a strong presence in the Christmas world so that we may continue to have the privilege of helping create beautiful memories and decorations for generations to come, as we have since 1946.