Bess Rowden

Vermont Teddy Bear Company

In 1981, John Sortino was playing with his son Graham and his collection of teddy bears. Surprised to see that every one of his son's bears was foreign made, Sortino was inspired to bring this American tradition back to its roots. Sortino handcrafted his first bears in his wife's sewing room and by 1983, he began to sell his bears from a peddler's cart at an open-air market in Burlington, VT. It took a year to sell through his first 200 bears. One day, a tourist visiting Burlington asked for a bear to be mailed to her home. This gave Sortino the idea to package a teddy bear and add delivery service. The Bear-Gram® concept was born. Shortly before Valentine's Day in 1990, the Company took this concept to NYC. Advertisements featuring well-known local radio personalities endorsing Bear-Gram gifts were placed on Z-100. Calls flooded the Company's three telephone lines and within the first two days, the Company reached its sales goal for the entire year! In 1992 Inc. Magazine recognized The Vermont Teddy Bear Co. as the 80th fastest growing private Company in the US. By 1993 the Company ranked 58th. In 1995, The Company moved into its new, 60,000 square foot home situated on 57 acres in Vermont's picturesque Champlain Valley. Today, more than 150,000 people a year visit the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. to find out how teddy bears are made. The Company now handcrafts more than 150,000 Bears for its Bear-Gram gift delivery service and employs 162 year round staff.