Surviving snow-boot makers, on the other hand, wish it would go on forever. After a string of mild winters, this year’s nasty weather has revived a sector that saw sales plummet 50 percent over the past three years. But with the bankruptcy, Kaufman missed the party. Retailers from Aspen to Ann Arbor are complaining about their depleted stocks and choleric clientele.
How could a company with such a devoted following go belly up? Tom Kaufman, fourth-generation president of the family-run company, says he was too slow diversifying into warm-weather apparel. And in recent years Kaufman had been losing ground to companies like Columbia Sportswear, which had introduced lighter, sportier boots that it could produce inexpensively overseas. But there’s hope for diehard Sorel fanatics. In September Columbia snapped up the Sorel name for $8 million–which analysts are saying is a bargain-basement price–and plans to relaunch the brand next fall. For Jeff Stultz, next winter can’t come soon enough.
