Eddie Bauer
Posted on Monday, February 16th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
The history of Eddie Bauer
Eddie Bauer, an outdoorsman from the Pacific Northwest, opened its first shop “Eddie Bauer’s Tennis Shop” in downtown Seattle in 1920, starting by building and repairing tennis rackets. The profile of the shop meant it was open only during the tennis season, Bauer spending the rest of his time pursuing his favorite outdoor activities.
Later on, Bauer expanded its shop, renaming it “Eddie Bauer’s Sport Shop”, and offering handmade golf clubs and fishing tackle among other products. His passion for innovation and quality led him to develop the “Bauer Shuttlecock” which had a huge impact on the popularity of badminton in the United States.
His passion for the outdoor will cost him a case of hypothermia, but also motivated him to created the first quilted goose down-insulated jacket in the United States, a design that will become hugely popular over the years. Marketed as “The Skyliner”, the jacket enjoyed great success in his store and this experience will prove useful, when in 1942, the United States Army Air Force will ask him to develop a jacket for its pilots. The result was the B-9 Flight Parka, and Bauer supplied the Air Force with over 50.000 parkas along with sleeping bags, backpacks and other equipment.
In 1945, Bauer issued its first mail-order catalog. More than 14.000 soldier that worn Bauer products during the war were on his mailing list.
The growth of the business had a serious impact on Bauer’s health, and in the 1950′s Bauer formed a partnership with William F. Niemi. The company continued to grow, and after Bauer’s retirement in 1968, the first store outside Seattle opened in San Francisco.
Niemi switched the company’s focus towards more casual apparel and in 1971, sold the company to General Mills.
The years that followed saw new changes of ownership and an aggressive expansion, the company sponsoring several expeditions and welfare actions, leading to the formation of the current company Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc. and led to the opening of almost 600 stores in North America, Japan and Germany.
While Eddie Bauer products aren’t the cheapest on the market, they are definitely worthwhile. Despite this, there`s always a good idea to search for Eddie Bauer Coupons on the internet. This way you can get your own Eddie Bauer high quality apparel at discount prices.
About the Author
Find out the latest Eddie Bauer Coupons buy visiting this website. Learn about special offers, sales an promotions.
Baby Gizmo Eddie Bauer Endeavor Travel System Review