L.L. Bean was a passionate dear hunter and trout fisherman but grew tired of returning home from the thrill of the chase with blistered feet. His leather boots were waterproof but as the leather hardened when drying they began to chafe his feet. Bean's goal was to design the perfect all-weather hunting boot. "I took a pair of shoe rubbers from the stock on the shelves and had a shoemaker cut out a pair of seven-and-a-half inch tops. The local cobbler stitched them together."

"nothing is so important to your outfit as your footwear. You cannot expect success hunting big game if your feet are not properly dressed."

"At Bean, heritage garments present an interesting balancing act for product managers who want to retain the item's traditional appeal while updating it as better processes or materials become available, or as trends and lifestyles change."

An article in Life magazine described how every item in the catalog has been personally tested by Bean; customers were even invited to try out the waders and fishing rods in a pond adjacent to the store.

Sell good merchandise at a reasonable profit, treat your customers like human beings, and they will always come back for more.