The BEST hotel experience for the BEST VALUE !
Immaculate guest rooms include : Free Hot Deluxe Breakfast Free Wi-Fi Freshly Baked Cookies
Only minutes from Burlington EXIT 16 OFF I-89
84 South Park Drive | Colchester | Vt www . qualityinn / hotel / vt057 ( 802 ) 655-1400
Present this ad for 25 % off our best available rate !
Not valid with existing reservations .
FUN G FUNCTIONAL G FABULOUS
Celebrating the ingenuity & creativity of American artists with a strong emphasis on Made - In - Vermont .
Pottery G Slate G Blown Glass Photography G Pewter G Soaps Cutting Boards & Bowls Birdhouses & Feeders G Candles Garden Art G Windchimes Jewelry G Scarves G Handbags Vermont Gourmet Foods Cheese G Maple Products Souvenirs
& Much , Much More !!
Established 1984
802-773-7742
1114 US RT . 4 EAST , RUTLAND , VT 05701 2 MILES EAST OF ROUTES 7 & 4 EAST
www . trulyuniquegiftshop . com
By drafting exclusive product design contracts with name brand companies such as Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis , he was able to create higher profit margins on both ends by excising intermediary suppliers . He created a direct supply line between textile manufacturers and major clothing brands that set new standards for commercial efficiency in the knitwear industry . In the process , he built a reputation as an astute and honest businessman . His ability to read the market and anticipate future trends allowed him to survive through a series of tumultuous market fluctuations .
In 1978 , Marc founded Cabot Hosiery Mills in Northfield , Vermont , and realized his dream of owning and operating a successful hosiery manufacturing business . Eleven years later , his son Ric joined the company in 1989 . When Cabot Hosiery Mills lost the majority of their corporate supply contracts due to rampant outsourcing in the early 2000s , Marc and Ric began to encounter considerable financial difficulties . Confronted with an intimidating predicament , they refused to capitulate their values or back down . Following in his father ’ s footsteps , Ric made the courageous decision to take the reins of the operation . Ric applied the hands-on experience he acquired through years of hard work on the Cabot Hosiery Mills knitting floor towards the design and development of the Darn Tough brand . Ric and Marc subsequently formed an intergenerational family financial partnership , and invested a large share of their remaining assets into Ric ’ s new business venture .
With the fate of the family business resting on his shoulders , Ric seized the opportunity to move the company forward with zealous enthusiasm . Drawing his inspiration from the hearty and resolute spirit of the Vermont residents who staffed the Cabot Hosiery Mills factory , he crafted high-quality socks that were every bit as resilient and adaptable as the people who made them . It was no easy feat to develop a viable new business strategy that could meet the demands of a quickly changing market , but when the going got tough - that ’ s when Darn Tough got going .
It all started when Ric made the first run of Darn Tough branded socks in a collaborative partnership with the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington in 2004 . By blending the natural moisture-wicking and antimicrobial properties of fine gauge Merino wool yarn with the elastic flexibility of nylon , and Lycra ®/ Spandex , Ric created a comfortable athletic sock that was both flexible and durable . Word quickly spread past the local Vermont community , resulting in distribution contracts with national outdoor supply retail chains such as L . L . Bean and REI .
As Darn Tough ’ s market reach continued to grow , the operation expanded past the original Northfield sock mill to include two additional buildings – one auxiliary sock finishing and inventory center in Northfield known as the “ Nantanna ” facility , and one corporate office building at the former site of the Keurig Coffee plant in nearby Waterbury . Due to Darn Tough ’ s continued commercial success , Ric has received multiple purchase offers from larger corporations seeking to acquire the brand . He has turned them all down in favor of retaining ownership himself .
Ric takes pride in Darn Tough ’ s locally-based manufacturing process , and refuses to follow the near-ubiquitous industry trend of foreign outsourcing . Every stage of Darn Tough ’ s sock making process is consolidated within their three company-owned locations in Northern Vermont . Ric ’ s dedication to small business values , independent ownership , and honest craftsmanship is embodied by Darn Tough ’ s corporate slogan : “ We have yet to produce our best sock .”
True to that philosophy , Darn Tough goes to extreme lengths to make sure that every sock that they produce lives up to their exacting quality standards . Darn Tough Brand and Community Marketing Manager Courtney Laggner says that “ from the early stages of raw material quality control to the final finishing and shipping stages , so many hands touch each pair of Darn Tough socks before they get sent out as a finished product .”
The sock making process begins with an intensive raw material inspection stage . All of the wool , nylon , and Lycra ®/ Spandex Darn Tough uses to make their socks goes through multiple levels of quality control before it continues onward to the main knitting floor . Once the raw materials are brought into the Northfield sock mill , they are painstakingly examined by the Raw Material Quality Control team to make sure they meet Darn Tough ’ s standards of thread count , strength , color consistency , micron count , denier ( fiber density ), and elastic recovery .
Raw Material Quality Control Specialist Heather Grant explains that “ when we source our materials , we have to make sure
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