Williams-Sonoma brings its objects of desire to Australia "I think the era of the mega-store is coming to a close," says Laura Alber, president and chief executive of Williams-Sonoma. The San Francisco-based company founded by Charles E Williams in 1956, which includes the furniture and homeware brands Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, West Elm as well as the cookware brand Williams-Sonoma, recently opened its first Australian stores in Bondi Junction in Sydney, the company's first directly operated stores outside North America. But instead of opening a series of large flagship stores to function like a beacon for the individual brands - as the compant typically does in major cities in the US - it opted for a series of smaller stores here.