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Vermont Teddy Bear history
Vermont Teddy Bear company history timeline
Launching a One-Man Business: 1981
1981: John Sortino sews his first teddy bear.
Our story started in 1981 when our founder opened a cart on Church Street in Burlington, Vermont and began selling Teddy Bears that he made in his garage.
In 1989, with sales of $351,000, Sortino was faced with either going out of business or making a drastic change in operations.
1990: Vermont Teddy Bear introduces the 'Bear-Gram.'
The company went public in December 1993, reaping $10 million in paper profits.
In 1994, bears, which sold for $60 to $250, began to be marketed in high-end retail outlets such as FAO Schwarz, Bloomingdale's, Henri Bendel's, and 250 smaller gift stores across the country, as well as in catalogues such as Spiegel.
1994: The company builds a $6 million factory which doubles as a tourist attraction.
The attempt to break into the overseas market was aborted shortly after Vermont Teddy Bear began marketing its bears in Britain in 1995.
In 1996, the $17 million company opened its first outlet on Madison Avenue.
By 1998, although stock prices were still at a low of 31 cents, Vermont Teddy Bear produced 195,000 stuffed bears and tallied sales of $17.2 million.
In 1999, it had expanded its product line to include lower cost, imported teddy bears designed and manufactured for corporate customers.
The state filed a $123,898 tax lien in 2002 against Sortino at the Burlington City Clerk's office.
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Vermont Teddy Bear competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carhartt | 1889 | $600.0M | 4,000 | 61 |
| American Greetings | 1906 | $1.7B | 27,500 | 528 |
| Fisher-Price | 1930 | $1.1B | 5,000 | - |
| Duracell | 1924 | $2.0B | 2,700 | 52 |
| L.L.Bean | 1912 | $1.6B | 5,100 | 131 |
| Hammacher Schlemmer | 1848 | $300.0M | 200 | - |
| The Franklin Mint | 1964 | $7.2M | 20 | - |
| The Home Depot | 1978 | $159.5B | 500,001 | 16,128 |
| Hallmark Cards | 1910 | $5.0B | 30,000 | - |
| Kohl's | 1962 | $16.2B | 110,000 | 1,511 |
Vermont Teddy Bear history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Vermont Teddy Bear, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Vermont Teddy Bear. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Vermont Teddy Bear. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Vermont Teddy Bear. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Vermont Teddy Bear and its employees or that of Zippia.
Vermont Teddy Bear may also be known as or be related to The Vermont Teddy Bear Co., Inc., The Vermont Teddy Bear Company, Inc., Vermont Teddy Bear and Vermont Teddy Bear Company.