Featured Brand: Smathers & Branson

Smathers & Branson may be the best known producer of needlepoint products on the market. Like many companies these days, Smathers & Branson was started in a college dorm room. Peter Smathers and Austin Branson were roommates at Bowdoin College, in Maine, when they decided to start a needlepoint belt company in 2004.

Interestingly enough, the idea started when they received needlepoint belts made by their girlfriends as gifts. Intrigued by the idea, Smathers and Branson began looking for more needlepoint belts, but soon found that the product was nearly impossible to find; and quite expensive. Their mission was to make needlepoint belts more readily available, and more affordable.

To make their dream a reality, Peter and Austin spent the fall of 2004 in Vietnam to meet their artisans face to face. This trip allowed them to make sure that the product matched the high level of quality that Smathers and Branson demanded. Unbeknownst to them, this was the foundation of a company that would end up employing 2,000 people.

Smathers & Branson first tested the market in the spring of 2005, and the business quickly took off. In addition to needlepoint belts, they now sell cummerbunds, dog collars, accessories, and there is even a women's line coming soon.

For more information on Smathers & Branson, head over to smathersandbranson.com.