The Vermont Country Store

What The Vermont Country Store does

The Vermont Country Store is a privately held, family-owned multi-channel retailer founded in 1946 by Vrest and Mildred Orton in Vermont and now run by the third generation of the Orton family, with Lyman Orton remaining active as proprietor and Kara Soulia serving as President. The company sells practical and hard-to-find general merchandise — clothing, bedding, kitchen and housewares, curtains, candy, specialty foods, personal care, beauty, toys, and gifts — to U.S. consumers through three primary channels: a national e-commerce website (vermontcountrystore.com), a long-running printed catalog operation dating to the founding, and two physical retail stores in Weston and Rockingham, Vermont. Each retail location is paired with on-site dining concepts (Mildred's Table, Mildred's Dairy Bar, and Mildred's Market & Dairy Bar), effectively turning the stores into regional travel destinations.

The business runs on a conventional e-commerce technology stack: an SSL-secured storefront with session/cookie management, a customer account system, live chat support, and standard order processing. Digital marketing is diversified across paid search (Google, Bing Shopping), display, email, SMS, and five social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, X), supported by third-party integrations with Google Analytics for traffic analysis, Bazaarvoice for product reviews, and UsableNet for WCAG 2.2 AA / ADA accessibility governance. Revenue is generated primarily through unit-priced retail product sales (one-time transactions) across categories, with a small recurring stream from magazine subscriptions (Yankee Magazine at $19.97/year and Vermont Magazine at $10/year). Pricing spans budget to premium tiers, with a $75 free-shipping threshold, and is complemented by 100% satisfaction guarantees and no-hassle returns. The company employs 501-1,000 people and continues to operate as an independent, debt-free family enterprise with no institutional investors.

Name

The Vermont Country Store

Legal name

The Vermont Country Store, Inc.

Website

https://vermontcountrystore.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Vermont Country Store is a privately held, family-owned multi-channel retailer founded in 1946 that sells practical, hard-to-find general merchandise to U.S. consumers through e-commerce, printed catalogs, two Vermont retail stores, and on-site restaurants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Retail

NAICS

Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronics, and Appliance Retailers (449), Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers (458), Specialty Food Retailers (4452), Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (45942)

SIC

Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940), Retail-Family Clothing Stores (5651), Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Variety Stores (General Variety & Five-and-Dime) (CRAEAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Stationery, Gifts & Greeting Value Stores (CRAEAGAI), Off-Price Seasonal, Holiday & Party Goods Retail (CRAEACAF), Chocolate & Confectionery Shops (THAFAGAD)

Keywords

• Specialty retail
• Catalog mail order
• Heritage home goods
• Specialty foods retail
• Rural apparel and gifts

Headquarters

HQ city

Vermont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Product Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling practical and hard-to-find goods including clothing, bedding, housewares, food, candy, personal care products, beauty items, toys, and gifts through e-commerce, catalog, and retail store channels.
2. Catalog Sales: Revenue generated from catalog mail-order business, which was the original sales channel since 1946. The company maintains and distributes printed catalogs featuring their product selection.
3. Restaurant Operations: Revenue from on-site restaurants including Mildred's Table in Weston, Mildred's Dairy Bar in Weston, and Mildred's Market & Dairy Bar in Rockingham, offering food service to store visitors.
4. Subscription Products: Revenue from magazine subscriptions including Yankee Magazine ($19.97/year) and Vermont Magazine ($10/year).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

The Vermont Country Store is a multi-channel specialty retailer that curates and sells nostalgic American merchandise, practical everyday goods, traditional clothing, bedding, kitchen and housewares, candy, specialty foods, beauty items, and gift assortments. It reaches customers through two destination retail stores in Vermont (Weston and Rockingham), a long-running print mail-order catalog, a national e-commerce website, on-site restaurants and a dairy bar, and partner magazine subscriptions. The mix combines the company's own private-label brands (Spirited Chocolates, Seersucker, Peanuts Gang, Orton Brothers) with curated third-party labels such as Eileen West sleepwear and M.MAC clothing.

Product overview

The Vermont Country Store is a multi-channel retailer operating as a unified catalog, e-commerce, and retail store business. Founded in 1946, it offers practical and hard-to-find merchandise through its main online store (vermontcountrystore.com) and two physical store locations in Weston and Rockingham, Vermont. The product portfolio centers on the core e-commerce platform with accompanying mobile experience, supplemented by retail stores and three restaurant/dining venues (Mildred's Table, Mildred's Dairy Bar, and Mildred's Market). Merchandise includes women's and men's clothing, bedding, kitchenware, curtains, candy/chocolates, specialty foods, and branded collections like Seersucker and Peanuts Gang. The company also offers magazine subscriptions (Yankee Magazine, Vermont Magazine), the For the Love of Vermont art book, and operates a restaurant at each retail location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mildred's Table: Restaurant dining experience located at the Weston store
• Mildred's Dairy Bar
• Mildred's Market & Dairy Bar
• The Orton Family Business

Products and services

• The Vermont Country Store print mail-order catalog A long-running print catalog offering the company's curated assortment of nostalgic and practical American merchandise to consumers nationwide via mail order.
• The Vermont Country Store e-commerce website Company-operated online store (vermontcountrystore.com) selling the full nostalgic general-store assortment to U.S. consumers, including apparel, home goods, candy, and specialty foods.
• Weston, Vermont retail store Original and primary destination retail location of The Vermont Country Store, offering the full nostalgic assortment in-store to visiting customers.
• Rockingham, Vermont retail store A second company-owned destination retail store in Rockingham, Vermont, extending the in-person general-store experience to additional Vermont visitors.
• Mildred's Table restaurant On-site restaurant at The Vermont Country Store locations named for co-founder Mildred Orton, providing dine-in service to visiting customers.
• Mildred's Dairy Bar Counter-service dairy bar at The Vermont Country Store locations named for co-founder Mildred Orton, serving traditional ice-cream and dairy items to visitors.
• Mildred's Market & Dairy Bar Combined market-and-dairy-bar concept at The Vermont Country Store named for co-founder Mildred Orton, extending the on-site food and takeaway offering.
• Yankee Magazine subscription Subscription to Yankee Magazine, sold through The Vermont Country Store's catalog and website to nostalgia-oriented consumers.
• Vermont Magazine subscription Subscription to Vermont Magazine, sold through The Vermont Country Store's catalog and website to readers interested in Vermont culture and travel.
• For the Love of Vermont: The Lyman Orton Collection art book A collectible/limited-edition art book based on second-generation proprietor Lyman Orton's personal collection, sold via the catalog and website to collectors and Vermont enthusiasts.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UsableNetcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnered with UsableNet to administer accessibility program and oversee governance. UsableNet's accessibility program evaluates and audits digital products on an ongoing basis in accordance with best practices, supported by a team of accessibility professionals including users of assistive technologies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• L.L.Bean: L.L.Bean is the most direct comparable: a long-tenured, family-rooted multi-channel retailer (catalog + e-commerce + physical stores) selling apparel, home goods, outdoor goods, and hard-to-find practical items with a strong national trust brand—nearly identical operating model and customer proposition to Vermont Country Store.
• Orvis: Orvis is a fellow Vermont-headquartered, family-heritage multi-channel retailer (catalog + e-commerce + retail stores) selling apparel, home goods, sporting/outdoor items, and gifts to a similar New England-rooted customer base with strong brand loyalty.
• Lands' End: Lands' End is a heritage American catalog and e-commerce retailer with overlapping apparel, bedding, and home goods categories, multi-channel distribution, and a focus on durable, classic merchandise that directly parallels Vermont Country Store's assortment and value proposition.
• Garnet Hill: Garnet Hill is a direct-to-consumer catalog and online retailer of women's apparel, bedding, and home goods with a similar curated, traditional aesthetic—closely aligned merchandising categories and customer demographic to Vermont Country Store's women-focused lines.
• J.Jill: J.Jill is a women's apparel and accessories retailer historically anchored in catalog and now multi-channel, targeting a similar older, classic-style demographic with practical, comfortable clothing—overlapping customer base and category mix with Vermont Country Store's women's assortment.
• Talbots: Talbots is a heritage multi-channel women's apparel retailer (catalog + e-commerce + stores) with classic, traditional styling and a customer demographic that closely overlaps Vermont Country Store's women's clothing buyers.
• Harry & David: Harry & David is a multi-channel (catalog + e-commerce) gift and gourmet food retailer, comparable in its positioning around curated specialty foods, gift assortments, and traditional catalog-driven acquisition—parallel to Vermont Country Store's food, candy, and gifting categories.
• Cracker Barrel Old Country Store: Cracker Barrel pairs a destination restaurant with a nostalgic general merchandise store, mirroring Vermont Country Store's combination of food service (Mildred's) and traditional general-store retail under a heritage brand—closely analogous operating and experiential model.

Emerging players

• Yankee Candle: Yankee Candle is a New England-rooted, heritage brand selling home fragrance and gift products through catalogs, e-commerce, and its own retail village—comparable in regional brand positioning, gift-oriented catalog heritage, and overlapping customer demographic with Vermont Country Store.

Regional players

• King Arthur Baking Company: King Arthur is a Vermont-based, employee-owned heritage baking brand selling specialty flours, mixes, and bakery goods via catalog and e-commerce—comparable in Vermont heritage branding, specialty food positioning, and catalog-driven distribution even though its assortment is narrower.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VTStore
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/vermontcountrystore
• Facebookfacebook.com/vermontcountrystore
• Instagraminstagram.com/vermontcountrystore
• Pinterestpinterest.com/vermontcountrystore
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-vermont-country-store

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Vermont Country Store