Movin' West

Don't worry - there's no threat of a move from Vermont: I just moved in a westerly direction a stone's throw down the hall to another office here at Beau Ties Ltd. HQ a while back. My new digs are situated adjacent to our call center, so I get to see (and hear) first-hand what a great job our Customer Service folks do in making sure everyone gets the Beau Ties they need.



I can also look out into our production area from my new vantage point, and see our seamstresses plying their craft.



I actually made the move before the holidays, and after witnessing our annual Christmas rush at such close range I just have to say how great it is to see the pride, care and personal touch that goes into the fulfillment of each and every Beau Ties order. I could watch from the incoming call to the order being handed off to our seamstresses, to the tie being created and all sewn up in the production area and then being packed off by shipping to complete its journey to its new owner. We've come quite a long way since our first days in the spare rooms in our house! Whatever the case, I'm enjoying the new perspective that comes with my new office - reminds how much of a homey, family operation we still are.

Excellent news

I just got word from Liz, our Custom Sales manager, that a scarf we produced has won a Gold Award in the Service Industry Advertising Awards competition. It's great news to me because it validates the quality of custom work we can do. This was also the first time we had been asked to design a custom scarf; usually, it's ties that customers request.




The scarf was created for the philanthropy department at the Lahey Clinic in Massachusetts. It was a long and very involved process, but as you can see, the end result was beautiful. (We also designed a tie that complements the scarf.)

Here's Liz modeling the award-winner. Doesn't she look elegant?

Fond memories of Frank

Some sad news to report: My goldfish, Frank, known for his great age and girth, has passed on to the aquarium in the sky. He lived a good life of a decade or so. Frank was a very loyal and low-maintenance pet, asking for little in the way of attention, food or accommodations. His eyes were the first to go. Can fish get cataracts? Deb seems to think so, since Frank's eyes were cloudy for the past several months.

There was no burial at sea for Frank. You see, he was so large that there was a very real danger of his earthly (or water-ly) remains clogging our plumbing. We gave him a modest burial plot in the backyard instead.

The weekend

I had a delicious prime rib and a wonderfully dense, moist gingerbread last weekend at the Waybury Inn, where Deb and I hosted the annual Beau Ties holiday party. We held our party post-holidays so that we could keep up with last-minute gift orders!

The Waybury was a new destination for us: Our previous celebratory spot was the Dog Team Tavern, which burned to the ground in a spectacular and mysterious fire some months ago.

The inn was very welcoming and we think it will be the perfect spot for the start of a new tradition.

You may be familiar with the Waybury and not even realize it. The Waybury's claim to fame, in addition to being a fine inn with a charming restaurant and pub, is its 80s-era appearance on the Newhart show. The building's facade starred in every episode as the Stratford Inn.

Welcome to 2007

Happy New Year!

We are back in action after a nice, but all-too-short holiday break in routine.

News here in Vermont is the Legistature's return to Montpelier tomorrow. I read in today's paper that two independent lawmakers will be among the ranks. The newest is an organic potato farmer from nearby Shoreham. (Democrats hold the majority in both the House and Senate.)

Vermont's is a true citizen legislature, with farmers, lawyers, shopkeepers, real estate agents and others all sitting beside one another, approaching challenges and making laws together. I'm interested to see what ideas they generate for encouraging new and growing businesses in Vermont.

Holiday warmth

Two Beau Ties employees, June and Sue, volunteer regularly with Meals on Wheels, delivering hot meals to the homebound here in the Middlebury community. June and Sue are very popular with their Meals on Wheels clients this time of year.


Each year around the winter holidays, our production staff makes lap quilts to keep meal recipients warm during the colder months. They use our equipment and space to sew the quilts during the day, as the ebb and flow of orders allows. The results are beautiful, as you can see in these photos.

Happy Holidays!

Thought I'd share some pictures from our "Secret Santa" Holiday Party.

Happy Holidays fom all of us here at Beau Ties!