J. Crew started out in 1947 as a company called Popular Merchandise, which sold reasonably priced women's clothing items through in-home demonstrations. In the 1980s, Popular Merchandise, wishing to capitalize on the popularity of catalog sales being enjoyed by Talbots, L. L. Bean and Lands' End, started its own catalog. Instead of the low-price garments previously offered, the new Popular Club Plan catalog, which was mailed out in January of 1983, featured quality clothes for the upper-middle class, similar to Ralph Lauren, but cheaper. The new catalog was a success, due in part to the company's insistence on including lots of pictures and details about the items that were being sold. In 1989, Popular Merchandise changed its name to J. Crew. Today, the retailer boasts more than 300 locations, including the original J. Crew, Madwell, Crewcuts and J. Crew Factory outlets, in addition to website and catalog sales.