Vermont Teddy Bears
Vermont Teddy Bear Company
The Vermont Teddy Bear Company Story:
In 1981, John Sortino was playing with his son Graham and his collection of teddy bears, each one of those was wearing a tag identifying it, as a foreign made. Surprised to see it, Sortino was inspired to bring the American tradition to its roots by handcrafting bears right there. His first bears, Bearcho, Buffy, Bearazar, and Fuzzy Wuzzy, were made in his wife's sewing room and sold mostly to friends. By 1983, Sortino began to sell his bears at an open-air market at Burlington, Vermont. It took four days to sell his first bear.
One day, a customer gave him a terrific idea. A tourist visiting Burlington, wanted a bear, but she wanted it to be mailed to her home. That gave Sortino the idea to package a teddy bear and add delivery service and other extras to go along with. The Bear-Gram concept was born.
Shortly before Valentine's Day in 1990, the company took its Bear-Gram concept and unusual marketing strategy to New York City. Advertisements featuring a well-known local radio personalities endorsing Bear-Gram gifts were placed on well-known New York City radio station. The response was immediate and overwhelming. Calls for Bear-Grams flooded the company's three telephone lines and within the first two days, the company reached its sales goal for the entire year. Sales and success followed the company as it grew from its lowly beginnings to become a major competitor in the direct response gift delivery business.
Introduction:
The Vermont Teddy Bear Company is the leading maker of hand-made, American teddy bears. By offering its customers a creative alternative to flowers through its Bear-Gram gift delivery service, the Vermont Teddy Bear company is gaining an ever-growing share of the $15 billion gift delivery industry. Well positioned with a firm balance sheet to pursue an aggressive growth industry, the company has been growing at an impressive rate. Roughly, 55% of the received by the
The Vermont Teddy Bear Company Story:
In 1981, John Sortino was playing with his son Graham and his collection of teddy bears, each one of those was wearing a tag identifying it, as a foreign made. Surprised to see it, Sortino was inspired to bring the American tradition to its roots by handcrafting bears right there. His first bears, Bearcho, Buffy, Bearazar, and Fuzzy Wuzzy, were made in his wife's sewing room and sold mostly to friends. By 1983, Sortino began to sell his bears at an open-air market at Burlington, Vermont. It took four days to sell his first bear.
One day, a customer gave him a terrific idea. A tourist visiting Burlington, wanted a bear, but she wanted it to be mailed to her home. That gave Sortino the idea to package a teddy bear and add delivery service and other extras to go along with. The Bear-Gram concept was born.
Shortly before Valentine's Day in 1990, the company took its Bear-Gram concept and unusual marketing strategy to New York City. Advertisements featuring a well-known local radio personalities endorsing Bear-Gram gifts were placed on well-known New York City radio station. The response was immediate and overwhelming. Calls for Bear-Grams flooded the company's three telephone lines and within the first two days, the company reached its sales goal for the entire year. Sales and success followed the company as it grew from its lowly beginnings to become a major competitor in the direct response gift delivery business.
Introduction:
The Vermont Teddy Bear Company is the leading maker of hand-made, American teddy bears. By offering its customers a creative alternative to flowers through its Bear-Gram gift delivery service, the Vermont Teddy Bear company is gaining an ever-growing share of the $15 billion gift delivery industry. Well positioned with a firm balance sheet to pursue an aggressive growth industry, the company has been growing at an impressive rate. Roughly, 55% of the received by the