Shepherd's Flock Of Townshend, Vermont, Producers of Shearling Slippers, Sheepskin Ear Muffs, Shearling Hats, Sheepskin Mittens, Lambskin Gloves And Other Fine Warm Products For The Family.

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HARD TO BELIEVE IT HAS BEEN 30 YEARS

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July 1978 and some darn (unnamed) fool decided to pull a "take this job and shove it" stance at the tannery he worked for. You all know how that goes, right? It is hard to decide who is braver, the individual who resists the urge or the one who just can't take it anymore and reacts without thinking. It felt good at the moment but took a lot of nerve to share the news upon arrival home.

Now our little firm was not really a business at that point but there was income being derived from other than the tannery wages. It was all pretty much from selling our wares at flea markets and any other possible venue. This income had previously helped us raise the down payment for our house. There was, however, hardly enough outside income to even consider trying to make a living from our work, but, what the heck, there remained that old "if you work hard, you will be okay" philosophy that was drummed into our heads by our parents (who, of course, were part of the good life in the 50's and had also been witness to the bad life in the 30's). Now, looking back, it is nice to be able to gloat just a bit. By all "business rules" we should not have lasted a month, let alone 30 years. It is not like we had this huge pool of cash to draw upon as, even with a full time job, life was, at best, hand to mouth. No, there was no way this could ever have happened. But, we were young and still believed anything was possible.

So, we continued to survive rather hand to mouth doing flea markets, repair work on occasion, and, of course, never, ever, paid anyone else to do what we could do ourselves. (For those of you who were so inclined, remember when you could work on your own car?) It was really a frontier philosophy. Meanwhile the product line continued to grow. We drifted out of flea markets and into the craft circuit and, shortly thereafter, the emerging sheep and wool festival phenomena. Truth be told, we are still doing business with many people we met in the early years and their grown children and their grand children. That is a testament to doing business correctly and honestly which has been our philosophy since the very beginning.

Shepherd's Flock® is a tiny shearling products concern in Southern VT, USA. We have been in business since 1978, believe it or not. In the beginning we focused on what we thought was the right way to do business with people and we have not changed our basic philosophy in all these years. It is simple, give people a good product at the fairest possible price, treat every customer the same way you would treat your closest of friends and don't let visions of enormous profits or greed make you stray from what you know is right. Hmmmm.

Much has changed outside of our little world here in VT over those 30 years, some good, some not so good. We used to have 8 tanners in this country that we could do business with, that is down to one, count it, one. As the supply line here in the US diminished, we went to Canada and Europe, but those tanners have disappeared as well. Now, if we lose our last remaining domestic supplier we realistically have only one place to go for skins or go out of business. You all know the answer to that one so we won't say anything further.

Competition from that one unnamed place, or we should say from US firms who know how to cut their labor costs, is fierce. In the early days, we competed fairly with goods made by US firms right here in the USA and with many others, like ourselves, who ran small cottage businesses. Was it brutal, yep, but it was fair. These days, most of our small US based competitors have just given up and we certainly understand that. Who can possibly compete with a product that retails for less money than you can buy the raw materials to make it with? Who can possibly compete with companies who put millions into marketing and get (unnamed) movie stars and TV personalities to walk around in their items and still turn a higher percentage profit (after all costs of doing business) per item than we do? Who can possibly compete with "drop ship" Internet businesses who never have to invest a penny in merchandise?

But, the same determination behind "take this job and shove it" has been refocused into "don't let the ........ get you down." Somehow, after 30 years, we are not going to give up and our success curve over the last few years has simply reinforced the need to stay faithful to everything our parents taught us. Oddly enough there still seem to people out there who just can't deal with mega stores and would like nothing more than to take a step or two back in time when they make a purchase.

Ah, yes, there are good things that have happened over the years. We used to be on the road no less than 25 weekends a year. We launched our website, not with the domain name, but a website none the less, in 1995. This was before the big guys caught on. There are still memories of the very first contact/sale all those years ago. Now, the Internet, despite our backward ways, has enabled us to really cut back on all that travel and spend the days producing merchandise. We have been able to convince people from all over the world that there are companies that still do business the way it should be done.

We have riches beyond measure. No, not money, the health insurance premiums (and the oil speculators) make sure there is no money (or retirement) in our future. Our children have had the rare privilege of having two stay at home parents and, yes, they have moved on and are extremely successful, not the drain on society that some statisticians would tell you they should have been. As we grew older (more mature??) and the business started to pay the bills with a bit more frequency, we started donating more and more of our spare time to many, many local needs that are ever present. In short, the good people who have supported us these many years get something extra in return for that support, a commitment to making at least part of this big world a little better.

Shepherd's Flock® still makes a wide range of shearling products right here in good old Vermont (USA). We will always make them right here and not allow our label, as unknown as it is, to be placed on goods made by a disposable workforce. In the beginning we were just two people and that has not changed. We do the best we can to prove that products that are made in the USA are still the best you can buy especially when you consider the larger picture. Our product line is not large and complex but does range from real simple items like sheepskin insoles and warm shearling ear muffs to a full range of shearling slippers (or sheepskin slippers if you prefer that terminology), with and without crepe soles. We stick to the basics, nothing fancy, and that seems to work pretty well.

We still use, as much as possible, domestic suppliers and US skins, tanned in the USA. These continue to be the bulk of our raw material purchases. If one wishes to utter the words "trickle down economics", some of us would consider the real scope of that phrase. Keeping other folks in the USA employed will surely lead to a better, stronger economy. Keeping other folks actively working in the USA will give us more individuals who will volunteer for all those necessary, yet unpaid, jobs that must be done. There are many, like ourselves, who just need a sense of security so they can spend some time taking on the challenges that this country and the government are afraid (ashamed) to admit exist. Maybe we should call it "trickle up responsibility".

All of our products are 100% shearling (aside from stitching, crepe soles etc). Nothing artificial, no polyester, no fake or real fur, and no other leathers. Our "customer service" is 100% as well. When you give us a call you won't get transferred to another country and a firm that is hired to just do customer service. (Is there anyone beside ourselves who is a bit nervous when you call the credit reporting agency to ask about misinformation on your credit report and end up talking to someone in India?) Yes, that is right. While we have no answering machine or automated phone system which, of course you all so dearly love (press this button, press that button), when you call us you get to actually talk to people who are 100% in charge of it all from taking the order to shipping it out. If we are out, you simply get no answer. If that frustrates you because you are in an extreme hurry we probably could not make your deadline anyway. Just be advised that when you do make contact we just say HELLO when we pick up the phone. Remember, we treat you like family and friends. A simple "hello" is all they ever get.

We do continue to do shows but, at the price of fuel, we limit the amount of "on the road time" a great deal. If you live in the North Eastern United States, the best way to do business with us is at one of the craft or sheep and wool festivals we exhibit at. We concentrate our time in the New England Region but get into New York State and Maryland once a year. Regardless of where you live we are happy to do business with you. A phone call, a letter, even an email is all we need and we are happy to ship worldwide as long as there are no custom's restrictions. Cheers to the folks in the UK which continues to be our largest export destination for ear muffs.

Sorry but we don't do the point and click thing nor can we "ship within 24 hours". We are just two people and, since we want to keep making our products in the USA, we have to do things in the slow lane. Massive volume leads to massive greed and, while that may be as American as apple pie to the corporations, it leaves a sour taste in our mouths. So, if you must have an item FAST, hop over to our index of competitors and see what someone else can do for you. Just be careful as they are not always 100% with the information they give you. It is not that they are intentionally attempting to mislead. How can one expect all their sales people to know everything about what they are selling like we do? And, then there are unspoken truths. How many people out there think items from "UGG Australia®" are actually made in Australia? And, when someone touts that their item is made from "Australian" sheepskins doesn't that rather lead you to believe the skins are at least processed in Australia? (And maybe the item as well?)

If you come back to us because we have you a bit cautious about how you spend your money, try out our Frequently Asked Questions page for a little more knowledge. In the beginning you will get a brief intro into ourselves and the basis for the way we do business as well as a lot of general information about shearling. If you don't want to look through the whole thing then you can link to specific parts off of the individual products pages. If you really want an in depth look at our sophisticated operation then take our "factory tour".

All prices are posted right beside the item descriptions so you don't have to go through 6 pages to find them. Yes, we charge you for shipping and handling but we don't have enough fingers to do the calculations necessary for complex stuff so we just charge between $4.50 and $9.50 for s/h. The $9.50 is our maximum for US and Canadian customers no matter how much you order from us.

Our privacy policy is unique and real simple. "We Don't and We Won't" is our philosophy and yes, it is based on our parents' belief in your right to privacy. It does not take ten pages of fine print to "state" and it even contains some tips to help you better protect yourselves from a world in which you are but a tiny little data stream. (That gets lost, stolen, misplaced, etc.) For that matter, we don't save anything about you electronically either. You are a real person with us.

The index below will serve as your initial guide to our offerings. You will find our simple one button "mouse over" menu near the top of every page as well as text links to all pages at the bottom of each page you visit so you can easily find your way around.

Consider the big picture. Is this an even playing field? We may not make it another 30 years but we will most certainly stick to our basic philosophy for as long as we remain in business.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR BUSINESS OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS.

GENUINE SHEARLING SLIPPERS, MITTENS, HATS, EAR MUFFS, AND OTHER PRODUCTS, HAND MADE IN VERMONT, USA
USING DOMESTIC AND IMPORTED SKINS

WELCOME TO THE HOME OF SHEPHERD'S FLOCK®.

GENUINE SHEARLING SLIPPERS, MITTENS, HATS, EAR MUFFS, AND OTHER PRODUCTS, HAND MADE IN VERMONT, USA USING DOMESTIC AND IMPORTED SKINS

WELCOME TO THE HOME OF SHEPHERD'S FLOCK®.

GENUINE SHEARLING SLIPPERS, MITTENS, HATS, EAR MUFFS, AND OTHER PRODUCTS, HAND MADE IN VERMONT, USA
USING DOMESTIC AND IMPORTED SKINS