The Lion Brand Story Revisited

Creative Retail Talks with Clint O'Rear

Stories from David & Adam Blumenthal covering 144 years and five generations of an iconic yarn brand in the creative industry. From how it got its name to what keeps it strong and growing.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Lion Brand has been around for 144 years
• Lion Brand was the sole supplier of yarn to Target for many years up until Target discontinued the category
• Lion Brand has been on the web longer than Google
• The key to keeping the business within the family and successful is that no family member is forced to be a part of the company. Every member of the Blumenthal family that has worked for Lion Brand did it because they wanted to
• Lion Brand is fueled by a passion for the business and a willingness to change and adapt
• Hiring people that have an interest in yarn and appreciate that Lion Brand is a family business has been the key to integrating non-family member employees into the company
• Lion Brand has been able to build a strong connection with its customer base and is very proud to continue to do that
• Partnering with Vanna White and others has been a huge boost for the visibility of the brand

SUGGESTED ACTIONS:

• Think long term
• Hire people that are a fit for your culture
• Stay passionate about your vision and adapt along the way as needed
• Find interesting ways to increase visibility of your brand!

𝗗𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗗 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗟, Chairman of the Board of Lion Brand Yarns.

Read the Inc article How I Did It: David Blumenthal

Earliest yarn memory?

Going to the office at 54 Canal Street, at the corner of Canal and Orchard Streets, where we had offices and a warehouse. It was the tallest building on the Lower East Side of New York. I was about 7 or 8 years old and I would sweep the floors and empty the wastebaskets. Going into the office with my father was a really big deal for me.

𝗔𝗗𝗔𝗠 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗟, VP Brand/Product Development and Digital at the Lion Brand Yarn Company.

You can reach Adam on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/adblumenthal.

𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥, president and owner of Creative Sales Consulting, has worked in the Retail industry since 2000. Clint and his team connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries for stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products.

For more insightful conversations with leaders in the Arts & Crafts Retail industry visit CreativeRetailTalks.com.

If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at [e-mail].

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Music:

"Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/