I received a package from L.L. Bean the
other day and it reminded me of Maine's favorite son.
It all started out because Leon Leonwood
Bean had cold, wet feet. He was a hunter and every time he headed backcountry
in the late fall and early winter his feet would get cold.
In 1912, Leon Leonwood had an idea. He
developed a specialized lace-up boot with a rubber bottom and leather top. He
started making them in the basement of a relatives shop in Freeport, Maine. It
was a fine warm dry boot and L.L. Bean came into existence.
Today that same boot remains a best
seller in a catalogue business that last year had sales over 170 million
dollars.
The store itself is still in Freeport
and is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year and is still run on L.L.'s
philosophy. If you give a customer a quality product, word of mouth will keep
you in business.
What make's L.L. Bean unique and no
doubt wealthy, is a policy that has never changed since the old man began
selling his hunting boots. If at anytime you are unsatisfied with anything you
buy at Bean's send it back, they will either give you a new one, or refund your
money. They will do so, even if you brought the item years ago.
Even if you loose a button on a Bean
shirt, write them and tell them, they will send you a button to match.
That kind of service has made
them big business in the mail order trade. L.L. Bean has its own zip code. 04033 is quite a legacy.
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