When John Sortino began The Vermont
Teddy Bear Company in 1981, he sold his handcrafted Bears at the Church Street Marketplace in downtown
Burlington from an old-fashioned vegetable push cart. One day a gentleman approached him and said,
“Ya know, John, I want to buy some of your Bears, but could you please send them to my Mom?” With
that one simple request, the Bear-Gram gift delivery service we offer today was born. Now known as the
Creative Alternative to Flowers®, we ship our Bear-Grams all over the world for lots of different gift-giving
occasions like birthdays,
new baby, get well, Mother’s Day, and, of course, Valentine’s Day!