The Vermont Country Store, Inc. (est. in 1946) is an American catalog, retail, and e-commerce business based in Vermont. The company is operated by the Orton family.
History
Although The Vermont Country store first opened in 1946 in Weston, Vermont, by Vrest and Mildred Ellen Orton. Its origins lie in the Orton family ’s long Vermont history. In 1897, Gardner Lyman Orton, the 8th generation of Ortons in the United States, opened a general store with his father -in- law Melvin Teachout in Calais, Vermont. Gardner's wife Leila gave birth to their eldest son Vrest that same year. The Teachout-Orton general store was the focal point of Vrest's early years and served as the original inspiration for The Vermont Country Store.
After serving in World War I, in France, Vrest entered the class of 1923 at Harvard.
