our philosophy
Our customer service is ferocious. In a good way.
Not in an in-your-face, aggressive ferocious way, but in a we-want-to-thrill-our-customers-no-matter-what ferocious
way. If you're not thrilled, then we're not working hard enough. And we like to work hard. Building and running
an independent family business takes a lot of hard work. We're up against some pretty stiff competition out there.
We're surrounded by big box retailers and the world wide web. How do we differentiate ourselves? By creating a
brand identity that hinges upon ferocious customer service. A pretty great product selection doesn't hurt, either.
And if we can shock a customer or two with our surprisingly reasonable prices, all the better.
We also believe in constant process improvement. We're always looking for new ways to innovate. If we don't
change, our customers don't stay thrilled. If there is anything that we can do to make your Tweed experience
more thrilling, please don't hesitate to let us know.
our history
1985
Carol buys the Sparta Book Shop in Sparta, New Jersey.
80s & 90s
Carol quadruples the size of the Sparta Book Shop and grows it into one of New Jersey's largest and
most respected independent book stores.
1999
With the evolution of Amazon and Barnes and Noble, sales growth of independent book stores slows
dramatically and Carol innovates by introducing gifts and home accents in a corner of the book store.
2003
The first freestanding Tweed store opens in Sparta, New Jersey!
2004
The second Tweed store opens in Richmond, Virginia! Daughters Kate and Liz join the Tweed team.
Kate is the Vice President of Operations. She manages the Virginia store. Liz is the Vice President
of Advertising and Design.
2007
Carol sells the book store and the Tweed store in New Jersey and moves the company's headquarters
to Richmond, Virginia in order to focus energy on building Tweed into a national brand.
2009
Tweed is trademarked. New-and-improved website is launched with Tweed's first online store.
our people
Carol is the founder and President of Tweed. She is a woman brimming
with entrepreneurial spirit. Never one to fear a new challenge, she has built
a life and a career by taking risks and turning lemons into lemonade. A graduate
of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, Carol finds that her
midwestern roots have made her feel very comfortable in the warm and
welcoming south. She and her husband find themselves just as busy in their
"retirement" years as they were in their child-rearing years. Once an entrepreneur,
always an entrepreneur!
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Kate is the Vice President of Operations and the store manager of Tweed. You'd
never know that she is a transplant from up north because Kate has really
embraced the southern culture. A step into Kate's Tweed is like a warm hug
from the most gracious southern hostess. A graduate of Blair Academy in
Blairstown, New Jersey and Randolph Macon College in Ashland, Virginia,
Kate and her husband, Robb, are busy raising a couple of southern gentlemen.
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Paul is the Chief Financial Officer of Tweed. He, like his wife, is a natural
entrepreneur. He relocated his family to New Jersey from Ohio in the 1980s in
order to acquire a declining mining company. Founded in 1900 by Thomas
Edison, Limestone Products Corporation of America had a great history and 600
acres of nearly empty quarries. Using the "Lime Crest" trademark and the
same business philosophy used by Tweed, the company's sales tripled by 1997
and Paul sold Lime Crest to one of the world's largest minerals companies. A
graduate of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio with an MBA
from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, Paul now lends his
business philosophies and expertise and new-found photography ability to Tweed.
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