RANDOLPH, Vt. (WCAX) – Nestled just east of downtown Randolph sits a historic building, and the home of legacy leather gloves.
“My grandfather used to wear these gloves and then my dad used to wear these gloves,” says Brookfield native Sam Hooper, who grew up wearing these gloves on his family’s farm. What he didn’t realize was that they were made right down the road.
For nearly 100 years, what’s now Vermont Glove, was the Green Mountain Glove Company owned by the Haupt family. That is until Hooper bought the business back in 2018.
“Serendipitously, this opportunity kind of presented itself and I fell in love with it,” says Hooper.
He cut his teeth on manufacturing at his family’s business, Vermont Creamery. It was there that he learned the ins and outs of running a business, setting him up with the know-how to run his own.
A lot has changed since the company got its start back in 1920, including the name and the tech that it takes to make the gloves. But Hooper maintains that the quality of these hand-sewn gloves has remained the same.
“We are premium, we last about five, six times longer than our competitors. We’re handmade here,” he says. ”Because our gloves last longer, we don’t get the cycle turns as fast in inventory, so we’re constantly searching for a new customer.”
While all of the gloves are made by hand, their uses run the gamut. Vermont Glove services more than 100 power line companies across the U.S. with their gloves made for linemen handling high voltage wires, including Green Mountain Power and Burlington Electric. Other models are popular with ironworkers, farmers and even skiers.
“We like to say we make working gloves for working people,” Hooper says.
A production team of nine is on track to turn out about 16,000 gloves this year alone. Hooper says every single pair will sell.
“Industrial sewing is a generation of jobs that’s gone overseas,” Hooper says, with his production team behind him. “I can honestly say we’ve got an amazing team right now. We’re making a lot of gloves with a few people.”
The small crew cuts and stitches these gloves together piece by piece. They’re double-stitched for durability, and have a one-of-a-kind thumb pattern for better wear.
“The way we’ve positioned the seams, they roll back… they’re behind your hand. You actually have increased dexterity even though the seams are on the outside of the glove,” says Hooper, showing off a weathered pair.
It’s not just how they’re stitched that matters, but the material being stitched. The leather of choice for these gloves comes from goats.
“It’s heavy in lanolin… so when the product gets wet and dry, wet and dry, it stays healthy. It doesn’t get stiff and brittle and break down like cowhide does,” Hooper explains.
Sourcing materials domestically is a huge point of pride for Hooper, who says that by buying these gloves, you’re supporting rural manufacturing in Vermont and supply chain jobs across the U.S. But, above all, buying a pair from Vermont Glove means you’ve got leather gloves to last a lifetime.
“We’re honest to say and happy to say that once you’re a customer, you’re a customer for life with us,” he says.
Vermont Glove products are available at dozens of retailers across the Northeast. Customers can also find the sizing guide and purchase them online.