By Ordering from a printed catalog in 2026 feels a bit like going to the market, bartering for your items, and paying in beads or livestock. It’s an outdated mode of selling items that was once a really popular way to buy things.
Even in my 20s, back in the 1990s, every airplane flight presented a catalog offering fanciful electronics and other cool gadgets, and seasonal gift catalogs were still common. But the internet, two-day delivery, and easy online ordering largely made catalogs obsolete.
It’s a decline that really took hold in the mid-2000s.
“The number of catalogs mailed each year dropped about 40% between 2006 to 2018, when an estimated 11.5 billion were mailed to homes, according to the trade group formerly known as the American Catalog Mailers Association,” the Associated Press reported.
Catalogs never fully went away, as some companies used them as marketing tools to drive people to their websites via QR codes, but they have shrunk in both size and number of overall catalogues sent, the AP noted.
Now, J. Peterman, a catalog made famous on “Seinfeld” that many people may not have known was a real company, appears to have shut down.
J. Peterman was a real brand on a fictional show
While some companies featured on “Seinfeld,” such as “Soup Nazi,” had real-life counterparts, they were not actual brands (although the soup company did later use that name). In the case of J. Peterman, the catalog predated the show.
It has also survived for the almost 30 years since the “Seinfeld” finale in 1998.
“The websites run by J. Peterman and companion brand Territory Ahead are inoperative. Each features a landing page that reads, ‘This store is not currently taking orders.’ Phone numbers listed for the corporate business and customer service are disconnected,” Retail Dive first reported.
TheStreet verified this by visiting both sites.
J. Peterman faced legal troubles
A lawsuit filed in August by the Ohio Attorney General’s office made some serious allegations about J. Peterman, which is also known as J.P. Outfitters.
The allegations included:
- Defendants accepted payments from consumers for goods and failed to deliver the goods within eight weeks.
- Consumers who did not receive their purchased goods attempted to cancel their orders and requested refunds from Defendants, but defendants failed to provide the requested refunds.
- After consumers shipped the returned items back to defendants and requested a refund, defendants failed to refund consumers’ payments.
- In some instances, the consumers shipped their returned items back to defendants using return mailing labels provided by defendants and were notified that Defendants had received the returned items, yet defendants still failed to provide refunds to those consumers.
These would be violations of Ohio consumer laws, court documents noted.
“Based on the available details, J. Peterman’s ‘retail business is no longer in operation,’ according to the Aug. 17 filing by Ohio Attorney General Andrew Wilson,” RetailDive reported.
The direct-to-consumer company, based in Ohio, had not responded to the claims as of press time, according to Wilson’s office.
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J. Peterman had a long history
“Seinfeld” did not create J. Peterman, but it did give the brand significant publicity.
“J. Peterman folding proves that Seinfeld nostalgia can buy you twenty extra years of life, but it can’t run your logistics,” RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino told TheStreet.
He noted that the TV show gave the brand more exposure than it had ever had before, but that did not stop it from struggling.
“Elaine Benes writing copy for an Urban Safari Jacket gave this catalog free cultural relevance that money couldn’t buy. It was so iconic that the actor who played Peterman literally wrote a check to rescue the brand from bankruptcy in the nineties,” he added.
“A great TV running gag might build a brand, but running out of cash will always kill it.”
A quick history of J. Peterman
In addition to its catalog and its “Seinfeld” fame, J. Peterman had multiple owners, tried various business models, and survived a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
1987
- John Peterman and Don Staley launch J. Peterman with $500 of Peterman’s money and a $20,000 loan.
- Their first ad, in The New Yorker, sells a single item: a cowboy-style duster.
- About 70 coats are sold.
- Source: Harvard Business Review
1988
- J. Peterman publishes its first catalog with just seven products.
- Its illustrated catalogs and elaborate storytelling become the company’s trademark.
- Source: Harvard Business Review
1990s
- The company grows rapidly, reaching roughly $65 million to $75 million in annual sales by the late 1990s.
- J. Peterman expands into physical stores.
- Source: Time
1995
- “Seinfeld” introduces the fictional J. Peterman, played by John O’Hurley.
- Elaine Benes later works for the fictional company, giving the real brand a major pop-culture boost.
- Source: People
1999
- J. Peterman files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
- The company had expanded aggressively and was dealing with excess inventory, weak catalog sales, and a cash-flow crisis.
- Paul Harris Stores buys the company for $10 million at a bankruptcy auction.
- Source: CBS News
2001
- John Peterman regains control and relaunches the company as a smaller catalog and internet retailer.
- Source: Time
2023
- BBB records JP Outfitters, LLC as the owner of J. Peterman, with an ownership date of March 1, 2023.
- Source: Better Business Bureau
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