Manchester Life 2022 | Page 10

A Priceless Opportunity
The Polo / Ralph Lauren storefront on Depot Street

If you walk down Main Street and Depot Street in Manchester on a beautiful morning or afternoon , you will likely encounter crowds of people wandering at a leisurely pace with shopping bags in their hands and smiles on their faces . Locals and tourists happily browse the windows and shelves of designer brand outlet stores and locally-owned boutiques , restaurants , and shops , which are housed inside both historic and newly-constructed buildings . Visitors who come to Manchester are able to bask in the bucolic beauty of the Green Mountains while enjoying a relaxing and unforgettable shopping experience . Make no mistake , however – this retail oasis was brought into existence through decades of hard work and persistence .

Ben and Lana Hauben , the founders of Manchester Designer Outlets ( MDO ), opened their first store in 1983 . They recognized that Manchester presented a priceless opportunity for the potential development of designer outlets , which was then a novel trend in the retail world . Rather than creating an “ artificial village ” outside of town , the Haubens made the critical decision to build MDO in the heart of Manchester ’ s historic town center . By providing beautiful , highquality new spaces for designer outlet stores , they were able to strengthen the economic vitality of the entire region . In the process , they changed the landscape of the retail industry on a vast and global scale . MDO also profoundly influenced the trajectory of Manchester ’ s future , paving the way for countless new restaurants , clothing stores , hotels , and other attractions that came to Manchester over the following years . In addition to high-end designer outlets , MDO ’ s buildings now house many successful independent Vermont businesses – all of which have greatly benefitted from the creation of the magnificent “ retail tourism ” empire that the Haubens brought into existence .
A Vision Unfolds
In 1979 , a year after they married , Lana Hauben and her late husband , Ben , spent a romantic weekend at a historic inn an hour and a half northeast of Manchester . On the way back to New York City , they drove through Manchester and saw a sign in
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