Vermont Business Magazine The Orton family, proprietors of The Vermont Country Store, announced today that the company’s Executive Vice President Kara Soulia will become President of the venerable business, succeeding current President & CEO Jim Hall who will retire in September. Soulia has been with the company for over 20 years, beginning her career as a fulfillment supervisor in Distribution and rising to lead its Operations, Manufacturing, Inventory Management, Customer Service, and Retail areas.
“Kara’s deep knowledge of our business and its people, her fearlessness in taking on the toughest challenges, and her ability to overcome them with thoughtfulness and innovation, make her the right person to lead our company at a time when the ‘unprecedented’ has become the norm in the retail industry,” said Eliot Orton, Chairman of the company’s board of directors.
“Kara embodies one of our company values that ‘the strength of The Vermont Country Store is in our people.’ She is a steadfast and thoughtful leader who is respected for her conviction and character. Her success at VCS demonstrates that hard work and perseverance can take you all the way to the top and she’s proven that anyone can do it. We are so fortunate that the best person to lead our business into the future is someone we know well and trust.”
“I am honored that the Ortons have placed their confidence in me to lead the family business they have owned and operated for three generations and nearly 80 years,” said Kara Soulia. “The Vermont Country Store’s longstanding success and appeal is rooted in its Vermont heritage —the place and the people — that offer our customers a unique experience, no matter how they shop with us. We do not follow the leaders in our industry. We do things our own way, which isn’t always easy, but it builds connection with our customers.
“A large part of the company’s success comes from our efforts to develop talent from within. With more opportunities, people stay here longer—about 10 years on average, which is well beyond the norm these days. We foster innovation through collaboration, so there are more frequent opportunities to learn and grow, which makes working here over the long-term appealing.”
Current President & CEO Jim Hall will transition to the role of Executive Advisor in September, and will advise the Orton family, company leadership, and board of advisors. “In the nine years that Jim has been President, The Vermont Country Store has dramatically improved our infrastructure, expanded our product line, particularly private label and exclusive products like our Mountain Weavers table linens manufactured in Vermont, our M.MAC line of women’s casual apparel featuring a unique natural design motif, and a robust curtain collection with hundreds of styles,” said Eliot Orton. “We have also enhanced creative presentations, developed an award-winning website, and refined our marketing approach to attract and retain customers.
“Jim’s incredible accomplishments will be seen and felt throughout our business for many years to come, and they will continue on through the knowledge he freely shared with many of our leaders and employees,” said Orton. “We are grateful to him and pleased that he will continue to guide and support our business in his new advisory capacity. This will allow him to spend more time with his family, while remaining meaningfully involved in the company.”
“The last 13 years at VCS have been truly fantastic,” said Jim Hall. “I have been fortunate to work for an involved family who welcomed challenge and change, and lucky to work with a talented and dedicated management team who are the cream of the crop. I am confident that with Kara taking the reins, The Vermont Country Store will be well positioned to continue forging its own path and achieving new heights of success for future generations.”
About The Vermont Country Store
Founded in 1946, and now in its third generation of family ownership, The Vermont Country Store is known as The Purveyors of the Practical and Hard-to-Find, serving customers nationwide through its catalogs, online, and in their two historic retail stores in Weston and Rockingham, Vt.
7.9.2025. [Manchester, VT] – The Vermont Country Store
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