lisa@bowtie.com 207-985-6724| View My Blog

"Bow ties. You sell bow ties on the internet. How ever did you get into doing THAT?” The question I’m most often asked is answered in the video here:

Welcome to my website!

Some of you already know me and my history; some of you are finding me anew. My name is Lisa Eaton, and below is a quick history of my business.

Ever since I was ten I have loved to sew. In 1986, with my Clothing and Textiles degree I started teaching home economics at a large, rural school in southern Maine. Making neckties for my husband who taught physics (hence the great selection of science and math themed fabrics on my site) is how I started my business. I made for him a series of holiday ties, as well as a tie with bowling balls that crashed into hula dancing bowling pins. Because my husband did a physics demonstration of a pendulum, swinging a bowling ball on a rope suspended from the ceiling in his classroom, I couldn't resist making him the bowling tie. The ties I made for him got lots of attention. I realized that I had the germ of a business idea and started selling neckties at craft fairs. In doing so, I had enough requests for bow ties that I started making those as well. Over the years, I added suspenders, cummerbunds, and pocket squares to my product line. I started to sell through mail order, and soon after through my website. In the mid nineties, with consultation from my then middle school aged stepson, I purchased the URL Bowtie.com. I will be forever grateful for that coaching from my stepson.

My business goal is simple and has remained the same since I started the business in 1993: I make great ties and accessories for men and sell them directly to the customer. I have happy customers and really enjoy being in direct contact with them. I make every item that I sell. When you call Bowtie.com, unless my husband gets to the phone first, I am the person with whom you will speak. I want you to be happy with your purchases from me.

 It feels good to carry on, in my very small way, the tradition of the once booming textile industry of Maine. I wish I could get everything my business needed in Kennebunk, Maine. That's just not possible. However, I order my labels from a company in Maine. The leather components of my suspenders are made in New England, as is the hardware for the suspenders and bow ties.