bean . this article contains content that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . may 2015 learn how and when to remove this template message coordinates 43 50 58 n 70 6 32 w 43.84944 n 70.10889 w 43.84944 ; 70.10889 l.l.bean inc. type private industry retail founded 1912 1912 founder leon leonwood bean headquarters 15 casco street freeport maine united states number of locations 42 stores 1 area served worldwide key people shawn gorman chairman steve smith president and ceo products clothing and outdoor equipment revenue us 1.61 billion fy 2014 2 number of employees 5 000 2014 2 website www.llbean.com l.l.bean inc. 3 branded as l.l.bean is an american privately held e commerce mail order and retail company founded in 1912 by leon leonwood bean . the company is currently based in freeport maine united states . it specializes in clothing and outdoor recreation equipment . its annual sales were usd 1.6 billion in 2015 . 4 contents 1 company history 2 product line 3 branches 3.1 retail and outlet stores 3.2 international presence 4 outdoor discovery schools 5 in popular culture 6 references 7 notes 8 external links company history edit l.l.bean in yonkers ny the company l.l.bean was founded in 1912 by its namesake avid hunter and fisherman leon leonwood bean in freeport maine . the company began as a one room operation selling a single product the maine hunting shoe known currently as the l.l.bean boot . bean had developed a waterproof boot which is a combination of lightweight leather uppers and rubber bottoms that he sold to hunters . he obtained a list of nonresident maine hunting license holders prepared a descriptive mail order circular set up a shop in his brother s basement in freeport maine and started a nationwide mail order business . by 1912 he was selling the bean boot or maine hunting shoe through a four page mail order catalog and the boot remains a staple of the company s outdoor image . defects in the initial design led to 90 % of the original production run being returned bean made good on his money back guarantee corrected the design and continued selling them . 1 in the past five years l.l.bean has donated over 6 million toward conservation and land stewardship . citation needed the 220 000 square foot 20 000 square meter l.l.bean retail store campus in freeport me is open 24 hours a day 365 days a year and welcomes more than 3 million visitors every year . 5 as a privately held company l.l.bean does not publicly disclose financials . leon l. bean died on february 5 1967 in pompano beach florida . he is buried in freeport s webster cemetery . 6 the company passed into the directorship of bean s grandson leon gorman from that time until 2001 when gorman decided to take the position of chairman leaving the position of ceo to christopher mccormick the first non family member to assume the title . 7 on may 19 2013 shawn gorman 47 a great grandson of the company s founder was elected l.l.bean s chairman . the company announced a 125 000 donation to a new scholarship fund upon leon s death in 2015 representing about 2.5 years of tuition at his alma mater bowdoin college . 8 stephen smith was named ceo in november 2015 . this is the first time in 103 years that a ceo has been hired from outside the company . 9 product line edit since its inception the company has branched out not only to variations on its boots but to other outdoor equipment such as firearms backpacks tents as well as producing a full line of clothing which is now its mainstay . l.l.bean is a global company sourcing its products from the u.s. and across the globe . it is one of the last multi channel merchants to still own and operate a manufacturing facility in the united states . its brunswick maine factory employs more than 450 people who hand craft the company s iconic products such as the maine hunting shoe l.l.bean boot boat and totes dog beds leather goods and backpacks . citation needed in 2000 l.l.bean formed a contract with subaru making l.l.bean the official outfitter of subaru spawning an l.l.bean edition subaru outback and forester for the usa market . the l.l.bean trim levels on american subaru vehicles are the top spec versions with leather and wood trimmed interiors and all available options offered as standard equipment . this relationship with subaru ended june 28 2008 . 10 in 2010 l.l.bean established a more stylish sub brand known as l.l.bean signature . the signature line is a modern interpretation of l.l.bean classics featuring a more modern fit . 11 branches edit an l.l.bean store in pittsburgh pennsylvania at ross park mall . along with a number of retail and outlet factory stores the company maintains its flagship store on main street in freeport . this branch originally opened in 1917 has been open 24 hours a day since 1951 with the exception of two sundays in 1962 when maine changed its blue laws ; a town vote reinstated the store s open door policy . 12 the flagship also closed to honor the death of president kennedy as well as that of bean himself . l.l.bean opened its first outlet store in north conway new hampshire in 1988 . retail and outlet stores edit united states colorado lone tree 13 connecticut south windsor danbury ; outlet store s orange illinois south barrington skokie old orchard mall kansas leawood maine freeport campus of stores open 24 hours day flagship store with attached hunting & fishing store ; bike boat & ski and home store ; outlet store s freeport ellsworth bangor massachusetts burlington mansfield dedham ; outlet store s wareham michigan clinton township mall at partridge creek 14 minnesota bloomington mall of america 13 new hampshire west lebanon ; outlet store s concord nashua north conway north hampton new jersey marlton paramus freehold new york albany colonie center victor rochester metro yonkers fayetteville ; outlet store s lake george ohio columbus easton town center lyndhurst legacy village pennsylvania center valley pittsburgh ross park mall king of prussia mall rhode island garden city center cranston vermont burlington 13 virginia mclean tysons corner richmond virginia beach international presence edit japan 19 stores 13 china 53 stores 15 outdoor discovery schools edit l.l.bean has education programs connected to many of its retail outlets to support the outdoor interests of its customers . customers can sign up to participate in a number of outdoor activities all equipment and instruction are provided . activities include archery clay shooting fly casting and sea kayaking . more advanced classes are conducted as well and must be reserved in advance . snowshoeing and cross country skiing are available december to march . all of the other retail stores there are now 20 total outside of maine offer fly casting and kayaking and stand up paddleboarding . 16 in popular culture edit l.l.bean shoe car bootmobile in freeport maine july 7 2012 the official preppy handbook an ironic description of upper class and upper middle class life in america describes l.l.bean as nothing less than prep mecca . author hunter s. thompson referred to wearing l.l.bean shorts in a number of his works most notably during the wave speech featured in chapter 8 of fear and loathing in las vegas . the 1990 paul rudnick novel i ll take it was a humorous tale of a long island mother taking some of her children on a fall shopping trip through new england with l.l.bean being the final destination . as the plot unfolds the mother divulges to her son that she is actually planning to rob l.l.bean in order to update her and her husband s furniture in their retirement . citation needed the blog your ll bean boyfriend features the male models of the ll bean catalog paired with captions that the perfect boyfriend might say . 17 references edit a b l.l.bean our story pdf . l.l.bean . retrieved may 2 2013 . a b l.l.bean 2015 company fact sheet pdf . l.l.bean . retrieved march 3 2016 . l.l. bean inc. private company information . bloomberg businessweek . bloomberg l.p. retrieved november 29 2011 . l.l.bean 2016 company fact sheet pdf . l.l.bean . retrieved september 4 2015 . kane colleen . now flagship stores come with spas wine vaults and studios . fortune . rogak lisa 2004 stones and bones of new england a guide to unusual historic and otherwise notable cemeteries globe pequat isbn 0 7627 3000 5 visit the l.l. bean retail store or outlet near you . l.l.bean . retrieved october 14 2014 . l.l. bean announces donations in leon gorman s name the portland press herald maine sunday telegram . the portland press herald maine sunday telegram . sharp david . apnewsbreak 1st outsider to lead retailer ll bean . boston.com . behind the wheel subaru outback h6 3.0 l. l. bean edition ; a melting pot with all wheel drive . new york times . retrieved 22 january 2016 . bennett alan . bean boots when practical becomes fashionable . the maine campus . the maine campus . 95th anniversary timeline . l.l.bean . p. 1962 . retrieved 2008 08 09 . a b c d three new stores in three weeks l.l.bean arrives in vermont minnesota and colorado . trailmix the l.l.bean blog . l.l. bean to open first michigan retail store . detroit free press . 19 february 2016 . about l.l.bean company information . l.l.bean . retrieved 2015 03 24 . walk on adventures at llbean.com murphy edward . swooning over your ll bean boyfriend . portland press harold . retrieved 7 october 2014 . notes edit abelson jenn september 1 2006 . 6 years later l.l. bean gets back in gear for expansion . the boston globe . retrieved 2008 08 09 . 259 ll bean . the largest private companies . forbes . november 9 2006 . retrieved 2007 09 26 . gorman leon 2006 . l.l.bean the making of an american icon . harvard business school press . isbn 1 57851 183 6 . montgomery m.r. 1984 . in search of l.l.bean . little brown . isbn 0 316 57864 9 . lehmann haupt christopher 16 november 1984 . in search of l.l.bean by m. r. montgomery . the new york times . montgomery m. r. december 27 1981 . the marketing magic of l.l.bean . the boston globe . retrieved 2008 08 09 . reidy chris july 28 2000 . journey of discovery . the boston globe . retrieved 2008 08 09 . sharp david march 14 2011 . ll bean reverses 2 years of sales declines . associated press . abc news . retrieved november 29 2011 . external links edit wikimedia commons has media related to l.l. bean . official website mobile retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title l.l.bean & oldid 743445090 categories freeport mainecompanies based in cumberland county maineprivately held companies based in maineeconomy of the northeastern united statesprivately held companies in the united statesonline retailers of the united statesretail companies of the united statessporting goods retailers of the united statesclothing brands of the united statescompanies established in 1912camping equipment manufacturersmail order retailersoutdoor clothing brands1912 establishments in mainel.l . beanhidden categories articles with a promotional tone from may 2015all articles with a promotional tonecoordinates not on wikidataall articles with unsourced statementsarticles with unsourced statements from september 2016commons category with local link same as on wikidata navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout