Happy Birthday to Moose!
Sweet Sixteen! What a terrific milestone to celebrate, don't you think? March 1st. may be a great time of year to open a retail store in the cities and suburbs, but not in a ski resort! What did we know? We had scored a space, difficult in 1994, but the season was rapidly coming to an end. We opened a sweater specialty store right after the conclusion of the Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. The whole world admired those beautiful sweaters worn by those handsome Norwegians, and I had bought the sweaters to sell in our store. Sixteen years later, we still sell Dale of Norway sweaters with pride. Now many of them sell "out the backdoor" as a result of website sales, which we would never have dreamed of sixteen years ago. Some things change, but some don't!
I also bought Icelandic Design sweaters, and sweaters from a talented designer named Rhonda Swensen. Rhonda's company was named Chompas (sweater in Spanish). She designed beautiful alpaca sweaters that were knit in Bolivia. Her last gig was Neve Designs which is a huge favorite of ours. Last year, Rhonda left there and has started a new collection called "With a Twist," which we'll have this fall. In that first year, I also bought a lot of novelty sweaters. They were big back then, from Berek, Belle Pointe, Michael Simon, Christine Foley, Ani Barrie, and Dia. Remember them?
So much has changed and yet, so much has remained constant! We're still in love with beautiful sweaters. We're now known nationally as one of the country's best specialty sweater stores, and we're working on our world reputation.
Locally, we've grown up a lot in the last sixteen years. Our store at 822 Lincoln Avenue is a happy place to visit and we've continued to offer a welcoming atmosphere where people have fun looking around and shopping for themselves and for their loved ones!
Besides sweaters and the ever present moose, we're now known as the best accessory store ANYWHERE! It's constantly changing and yet so much has stayed the same - our commitment to quality, selection and wonderfully personal service.
Tonight we're having a party to celebrate with some of our long-time favorite customers. My incredible staff, my husband Gary and I will welcome them with heartfelt gratitude. In spirit, you'll all be here with us! Let us know if you would like to receive a goody bag from our celebration.
I still love doing this, so look for Moose Mountain to age cheerfully in a healthy and positive way, and to grow even stronger and wiser as she gains even greater maturity. Thanks so much to all!
Jennimoose
