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| The Polo Ralph Lauren outlet. |
MANCHESTER, VERMONT – For many Montrealers, when they think of
doing some cross-border outlet shopping for quality merchandise at deep
discount prices, the first place that comes to mind is North Conway, New
Hampshire.
However, for more
than 30 years, the town of Manchester, Vermont (just four hours south of
Montreal) is a picturesque town neatly tucked into the Green Mountains that
houses a well kept secret in the world of outlet shopping that should no longer
be kept a secret.
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| The interior of the Eileen Fisher outlet. |
Manchester is the
home of the Manchester Designer Outlets (MDO, www.manchesterdesigneroutlets.com),
which encompasses 150,000 square feet of shopping space in the heart of the
town’s centre, and boasts 38 top name designer stores offering the finest in
designer fashions, luxury home furnishings, gifts and stylish accessories, in
which bargain hunters can benefit from savings of up to 70% off the original
retail price. And what high end and popular retailers have made the Manchester
Designer Outlets their home? There’s Polo Ralph Lauren, Eddie Bauer, Yankee
Candle, Armani, J. Crew, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Brooks Brothers and New
Balance, to name a few.
And most recently,
a new addition was opened to the MDO complex called the Marble Mill, which
added 20,000 more square feet of shopping space, housed four new outlet stores
(New Balance, Eddie Bauer, Armani and Eileen Fisher) and includes a 4,500
square foot exterior center court that is used by shoppers as a rest spot, as well
as for various special events and ceremonies.
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| The new Eddie Bauer and New Balance outlets |
What is so striking
about the MDO is that the exterior design of each outlet store does not
resemble the typical box store look that you would see in a typical suburban
shopping mall. Each store is housed in a structure designed by Vermont
architects that reflect the architectural style of New England houses that go
back about 200 years, which combines New York City-style shopping with New
England historical charm.
And besides the
rustic small town beauty that surrounds the Manchester Design Outlets, the
added attraction for shoppers is that there is no sales tax at all on all
clothing that is purchased there. For example, during my weekend stay in
Manchester earlier this summer, I took advantage of what some of those outlets
had to offer. I bought three articles of clothing at Eddie Bauer that would
have cost $90 plus taxes, and spent only $45; and at the Polo Ralph Lauren
outlet, I bought a Polo dress shirt for only $20, in which the retail price was
$69. My total savings was $104 USD.
The Manchester
Designer Outlets was the brainchild of Ben and Lana Hauben, who were originally
from New York City. They began to spend their weekends in East Arlington,
Vermont in the late 70s and Ben, who survived Stalinist Russia and Nazi Germany
and immigrated to New York in 1949, and established himself as a major footwear
manufacturer and real estate developer, had a knack for restoring historic
properties and began to see the potential in Manchester as a town that would be
attractive for tourists and shoppers. In 1983, he and Lana opened the
Manchester Design Outlets, with Polo Ralph Lauren as its first tenant.
“Originally, outlet
stores were a place where retailers would get rid of their returns. We decided
it had to take a brave soul to make these outlet stores have a New York City
feel to them,” said Lana. “We wanted to give these stores a look to them
similar to having your friends coming to see your house. So after the Polo store
opened, we went to a lot of other clothing retail companies and invited them to
come up to Manchester and see for themselves what we had to offer. And with a
little luck and never letting up, many of these companies came to Manchester
and set up shop here.”
“The outlets in
Manchester are never going to be like a Target store, because the outlets,
along with the activities and culture, make going to Manchester a complete
shopping and vacation experience,” she added.
* * *
And once you’re finished your day of shopping at the
Manchester Designer Outlets, spend overnight at one of the town’s many charming
bed and breakfast inns. The one I chose to spend the night at was the Inn at
Manchester (www.innatmanchester.com), which is located within walking distance
of the outlets.
In my travels, I have always stayed in a major chain hotel
and never in a bed and breakfast; however, after my stay at the Inn at
Manchester, I can see why they are so integral to the New England landscape and
its tourist industry. The house was originally built in 1889 and became an inn
in the 1940s (it became known as the Inn at Manchester in 1978). The inn has 21
guest rooms and deluxe suites, in which each room has its own name, design and
character to it (and complete with the typical hotel amenities). Breakfast
alternates between egg dishes and their signature pancakes, and for those who
like a between meals nosh, the inn offers a guest pantry in the kitchen with a
varied selection of snacks and goodies to choose from around the clock. And if
you enjoyed your stay there (like myself), the inn also offers a line of Inn at
Manchester merchandise for purchase such as coffee mugs, polo shirts and
handmade bed linen sets that are similar to the ones that are used on the beds
of each guest room.
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| Exterior of the Inn at Manchster bed & breakfast. |
And the down home friendly service that’s offered to every
guest at the inn is reflected in its current owners, the amiable husband and
wife team of Frank and Julie Hanes, who bought the inn 10 years ago and moved
to Manchester from their home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where Frank
worked for a textile company.
“Frank always told me that he wanted to be in the
hospitality business. So when he accepted a retirement package from the textile
company after 22 years there, we decided that if we were to go into the
hospitality business, let’s do it now,” said Julie. “We love the community here
in Manchester and we love taking care of our guests and make them happy and get
to know them.”
Besides the spacious guest rooms and suites, as well as the
large, comfortable lounges and parlors, the Inn at Manchester also offers a bit
of home with its resident pet dog, who is Chai, the not-so-miniature poodle who
is always seen wandering around the inn and treating the guests as if they were
part of the family.
“Chai is definitely a part of the business. In fact, he is
on the payroll,” said Julie. “The guests also like to feed Chai at breakfast
time. It got to the point that he was getting too big, and we had to place
signs on each table that say not to feed him anymore.”
The Hanes’ love of running the Inn at Manchester has not
only reflected in the high rate of repeat visitors and referrals they get every
year (including a large number of visitors from Montreal, Quebec City and
Toronto), it has also been reflected in their inclusion as one of the 13
Vermont-based inns to be part of the Select Registry, an annual guide of chosen
inns and bed and breakfasts across the U.S. that’s comparable to being selected
for the Zagat restaurant guide.
And Julie states that their love of the New England
lifestyle in Manchester, and of running the inn (along with their youngest
daughter Alice) has prompted them to expand the inn with the construction of
the Celebration Barn, a 2,500 square foot facility that’s being built adjacent
to the inn that will offer residents and visitors a place to hold celebrations
and special events throughout the year; the barn is slated to be completed by
this October.
“We love Manchester. There’s always something to do here.
And we also love the fact that we get four great seasons here, not to mention
the lovely scenery.”
