Not to be deterred , Mark knew the public was interested , he just needed to get the word out . “ In the beginning , we were so small , and my ideas were so big . Our main outlets were craft shows . I would load up my car on Wednesday , drive to Cape Cod , or Maine , or Pennsylvania , or all over Vermont , set up on Thursday , and sell on Friday , Saturday , and Sunday . On Sunday , I ’ d drive home , say ‘ hi ’ to my wife and three young kids , and then I spent Monday and Tuesday re-packing and making more products to load up again on Wednesday . I did this for 25 weeks out of the year .”
Mark ’ s tenacity paid off . Within a year , he had snagged a large contract distributing to L . L . Bean with Vermont Flannel ’ s label ( which was unheard of ) and had rented manufacturing space in Barre to house his sewers and stitchers . During that time , Vermont Flannel grew from 3 employees to 63 .
When the L . L . Bean contract unexpectedly fell through seven months later , Mark quickly pivoted again just like he had done so many times before . “ We had already bought fabric and had the stitchers hired to fill the L . L . Bean orders , so when they went away , we decided to keep it going — just in a different direction . We opened nine stores in less than a year . We were opening a store just about every month ,” recalled Mark .
Such rapid expansion and growth earned Vermont Flannel an award from then-governor Howard Dean ’ s administration as one of the fastest growing businesses in Vermont .
Proudly Made in the USA
Since day one , Vermont Flannel products have been handmade and handcrafted in the USA from 100-percent pure cotton flannel . Every item is cut , stitched , and sewn by hand , using the finest brushed flannel on both sides to help give it the ultra-soft , cozy , and comfortable feel that “ Vermont Flannel Fans ” have come to know and trust .
Mark realized how powerful the “ Made in America ” sentiment was when he manned a kiosk during the holidays at the University Mall in South Burlington . It was 2007 , and the Great Recession had just started , and people were panicked . Stores of all sizes , especially the name brands like Bon Ton , Sears , and J . C . Penney were feverishly trying to off-load their inventory with fire-sale prices of 50 – 60 percent off everything in the store .
Shoppers would approach Mark asking what his discounts were , but instead of following the trend , he carved his own path . “ We weren ’ t trying to compete with a J . C . Penney . We were too small of a company then , with less than 50 employees — it wasn ’ t going to happen ,” said Mark . “ What did we have ? Well , over 99 percent of everything in the mall was made in China , so when someone bought flannel at J . C . Penney that money went to China . But when they bought one of our Vermont Flannels , that money went to their neighbor .”
Mark made a huge sign for the kiosk that read , “ Made in the USA . Do you give a stitch ? We do . Do you ?” His marketing tactic worked . Not only did he sell all the products at full price , but his sales increased too .
Today , Vermont Flannel continues to promote its Handmade in America heritage , selling about 100 unique products online and at its five retail outlets in Ferrisburgh , Burlington , Johnson , East Barre , and at its flagship store in Woodstock , Vermont .
Just about anything you can wear can be found in flannel . There are lounge pants , shorts , fitted long sleeve shirts , hoodies , bathrobes , and pajamas for men , women , and children in dozens of patterns . Their best-selling product remains the original Vermont Flannel lounge pant , the ones Mark invented . The men ’ s and women ’ s flannel shirts also remain hugely popular .
Never content to rest on just the classics , Vermont Flannel continues to create unique flannel accessories and products , too . Customers can find flannel ponchos , hair scrunchies , boxer briefs , scarves , baseball caps , blankets , head warmers , and flannel sleeves for beer bottles or wine glasses . Vermont Flannel even makes jackets for dogs . “ Although we ’ ve been in business almost 30 years , we still think of ourselves as a startup ,” said Mark . “ We continue to be leaders and innovators in everything flannel , and we ’ re always looking for new ideas that our customers will love .”
Mark is quick to point out that such innovation can only come when you have the right team . “ We have an amazing group of people with an incredible work ethic , and we try to play to everyone ’ s strengths .”
After almost 30 years , Mark even credits his team with giving him the energy to continue logging his long workweeks . “ A lot of our people never call in sick . There ’ s one woman who has worked for us for 25 years , and I can think of only one time when she called in — and that was for a half-day ! If my team can keep going , I can keep going .”
Beyond Today
Vermont Flannel may have begun by chance , but Mark has always known what the company stood for . “ Dedicated to World Comfort ” is the tagline Vermont Flannel lives by , but that comfort runs deeper than just how a shirt feels on the skin .
Just before closing , late one Friday afternoon , Mark received a call from a woman in Burlington . “ I was at our offices in East Barre , and she asked if we were open .
6 VERMONT MAGAZINE