About Us
In 1974, Lee and Jon Rosenberg decided to open a small fabric store. Jon was attending Vermont law school and Lee was a registered nurse. They started in a very small space in Waitsfield, Vermont, where skiing was more of a priority than retail. On many a day, a sign was visible on the front door - "Closed. Gone Skiing." Initially the focus was on dress goods and odd pieces of jewelry, hence the name 'Rags and Riches.' Eventually the emphasis switched to fabric wall-hangings which were the rage in the seventies.
In the mid-seventies, the business was growing and the couple realized they had outgrown their humble beginnings in Waitsfield. Jon and Lee decided to move the business to an 800 square foot space in South Burlington, Vermont. A year or so later, in response to changing trends, they took the store in a new direction - home decorative fabrics at mill outlet prices. The growth of the business necessitated the formation of a partnership with Rick Massar. His wife Gayle works on the selling floor and does in-home consultation. Rick has worked hard to expand the company's on-site workroom that meets the demands of customers from all over the United States and Canada.
Rags and Riches has become one of the largest fabric outlets of its kind in New England, occupying its own building of over twelve-thousand square feet and housing in excess of 500,000 yards of fabric. The discounted merchandise is unique, every piece still hand-picked by Jon to this day. Inventory includes fabrics and accesories offered at discounts of at least 50 percent below retail. The company's different areas of expertise continue to grow, and there is no end in sight.