We’re not normally ones to toot our own horn. Of course, we always appreciate sincere thanks and words of encouragement from our customers, but recognition is not what motivates us day in and day out. We’ve always believed that doing right by our customers is all we need to succeed, and it’s proven true—while retail businesses come and go, we keep doing what we do best.

So, we were very surprised to learn recently that The Vermont Country Store has been ranked #1 in Newsweek’s Best Online Shops 2023 in the Universal Provider category that includes the biggest names in online shopping. In fact, it’s the second year in a row we’ve earned this special honor. We must be doing something right!

Newsweek’s Best Online Shops 2023 represents the top 1,000 online retailers in 39 categories selected from 9,500 online retailers. Each shop is put through rigorous website testing and a nationwide survey of 6,000 American online shoppers. Survey participants evaluate Trust & Security; Structure & Usability; Payment, Purchase & Delivery; Service & Communication; Technical Performance; and Likelihood of Purchase.

You might be surprised that a small business like ours that’s been around since 1946 could rise to the top among a very competitive group of companies. When our grandparents started the business, they weren’t thinking about being better than anyone. As Vermonters, they held themselves to extremely high standards and had a strong work ethic that we’ve maintained ever since.

But just because we’ve been around a while doesn’t mean we’re stuck in our ways. Over the years, how we serve our customers has changed quite a lot, and we’ve kept up with the times. Our father, Lyman, likes to say that we have three stores, the ones made of wood—in Weston, Vermont and Rockingham, Vermont; the one made of paper—our catalog; and one virtual store—our website where anyone can shop from anywhere day or night.

We take pride in making each store a delightful experience stocked with practical things you need, hard-to-find things you want, and fun surprises you can’t live without. Our incredible storekeepers focus on every detail to ensure that shopping our online store and our catalog feels as close as possible to the experience of visiting our stores in person, creaky floorboards, and all. Their commitment to you, our customers, is unmatched.

We hope the next time you shop with us—whichever way you choose—you’ll be proud knowing that you are supporting a small, family-owned Vermont business that has earned its place as one of the best online shops in America!