Reed sold the chain in 1969. By 1985, it was owned by Charles M. Leighton’s CML Group, which also owned prep icon Boston Whaler and The Nature Company. CML sold the company to Swire Pacific in 1990. It was mostly downhill after that. Reed died in 1995. It was later purchased by D.M. Management, which later became J. Jill, for just over $6 million.
Carroll Reed had a sad ending, with the company shutting it down in 1996. You can read about Mr. Reed here who was instrumental in promoting skiing in New England.
Remember the old Geiger Jackets? You can buy them vintage on Etsy.
At one time Talbots (the old one, not the one we have today) and Carroll Reed were "the" places to shop for preppy girls. Sad ending for a great brand. Seems like J Crew is headed down the same path to destruction. Love seeing the vintage pieces on Ebay and Etsy. Fun to stroll down memory lane from time-to-time isn't it?
I so remember Carroll Reed. Loved their clothing.
ReplyDeleteWow, you took me down memory lane with that one. DId you ever know the Concord Country store also. It was like the old Talbots. Very interesting, but also wondering what was you inspiration for writing it. Cheers and thank you Lydia
ReplyDeleteI still have one of my Geiger jackets and I bought my Jacques Cohen espadrilles from Carroll Reed. Sad ending to a great store. I always wondered what had happened to them. I'm thinking the same way about J Crew - quality is down, but the prices are up. They're trying too hard and it shows.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post. I so loved Carroll Reed and still have a few sweaters
ReplyDeleteI actually am still using some Carroll Reed towels - better quality than any towels you can buy today!
ReplyDeleteWas hoping to replace a few of my favorite mock turtleneck shirts. Guess I'll take very good care of them one more season!! Although I really like some of J.Jill...it is NOT Caroll Reed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the lovely post and tribute...
How nice that someone else remembers Carroll Reed. My mother and I both shopped from their catalogs, and used them frequently to drool over their fashions. It was a very sad day when they ceasesd their catalog operations and the stores closed. Talbots was also a big favorite, but in the past 10 years or so, they don't seem to be anything like the way they were. I remember loving J. Crew in the 1980s, but sometime in the 1990s, they changed their image and target market and became much more expensive. When they first sent around catalogs, they seemed to be much more like a competitor to Lands End. I also remember Papagallo shoes and the shops which sold them. The Papagallo shops had very imaginative accessories and other gifts in them as well.
ReplyDeleteI am looking at an Order Acknowledgement and an Inspection letter which came with every purchase I made from Carroll Reed. I still have some of the items, one in particular; a hand knitted sweater with floral embellishments is a piece I pull out when I really want to be noticed; and it comes thru every time. So sad to see Carroll Reed go by the side.
ReplyDeleteI loved Carroll Reed...and was just wondering if it still existed when I found this site. What a shame that those purveyors of good quality clothing are largely gone. Talbot's is not what it used to be, that is for sure. What about J. Peterman catalogue? That was another of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteAfter attending college for Computer Information Systems back in the early 1980's, Carroll Reed was my first full-time programming position. I still have a copy of one of my business cards too. Carroll Reed was the best job I ever had, and being 65 now, and ready to retire from the IT industry, being at Carroll Reed Ski Shops remains my most favored memories of my working career. I often brought my children to work in the Conway facility, and they have fond memories of that place as well.
ReplyDeleteBeing Canadian, I had no idea Carroll Reed had such a long and successful history, esp beginning with the skiing industry. Like many others, I too am so disappointed to learn they are no longer in business having been such a fan of their flannel-back pjs for years. I still have x2 pair bought in Ottawa, Ont way back in the '90s and they are still in great shape which speaks volumes as to the quality of Carroll Reed products.
ReplyDeleteHad a friend that ran a Carroll Reed up the street from Mt Snow for years. He since has owned his own shop for years, near Cherry Mtn blahh! I still have a like new vintage T- shirt really cool(red) of course. Think it's pretty rare at this point.
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ReplyDeleteGrowing up we didn’t know what prep was we just wore good practical clothes. We would always stop by the store at Cannon mountain. I had always thought that the store was related to the director carrol reed
ReplyDeleteGrowing up we didn’t know what prep was we just wore good practical clothes. We would always stop by the store at Cannon mountain. I had always thought that the store was related to the director carrol reed
ReplyDeleteMy husband just bought the most wonderful Carroll Reed sport coat from a vintage clothing store—it’s blue and green with seagulls! I almost flipped when I saw the Carroll Reed label—it was a blast from the past!
ReplyDeleteI loved working there in 1969. Running around down stairs filling orders. Wrapping gifts on the floor. I still have a cookie jar I bought there. So sorry to see quality merchandise gone.
ReplyDeleteAnyone remember Eleanor Sawyer who worked there. Had a daughter and son and they lived in a house just down from Carrol Reed. Would like to find her, an old friend. Bill Lynch, Lived in NY
ReplyDeleteMy great grandmother Elena used to live in Ontario Canada and she used to send some clothes to us, the family in Europe, Lithuania since we didnt have much choice until 1990 (restoring independence from ussr) and quite a few years after. Being born in that year I just today found a beautiful night gown which belonged to my grandmother I guess. Imediately went on google to search if the brand still exists. So sad that it doesnt anymore.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmom, Cecilia Hall, worked at the Carroll Reed in Conway when I was young. She would send us clothes from there for Christmas. We loved the catalogs. I remember the kelly green and navy clothing!
ReplyDeleteCarroll Reed was a Dartmouth classmate of my father, Steve Bradley. My dad was a watercolor painter and sold several paintings through the Carroll Reed company.
ReplyDeleteI also miss their clothing!
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ReplyDeleteI can still wear my purchases from Carroll Reed at 82. Love my black watch plaid jeans. My purchases from the catalog are all like new because I always wore uniforms as a practicing dental hygienist for 50 years, retiring at 74. My many closets are mostly full of classic Talbots attire, also like new. , but I always found something in the Carroll Reed catalog. College and adult friends have always commented on my "cool" outfits here in the Midwest.
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