Leon Leonwood Bean, or L.L., was born in the small township of Greenwood, Maine, in 1872. The values our founder was raised to believe in were simple and deeply engrained… Nature was something to be revered. Family ties were a priority. Being neighborly was a matter of course. And "do unto others" was not just a saying but a way of life. When L.L. launched his company with the first Maine Hunting Shoe in 1912, he believed so strongly in the Golden Rule that he made it the foundation of his business.

L.L.'s values live on, and at L.L.Bean today, we still measure success by the satisfaction of our customers. As L.L.'s grandson Leon Gorman, Chairman of the Board of L.L.Bean, said,

"Serving customers is a day-in, day-out, ongoing, never-ending, unremitting, persevering, compassionate kind of activity."


We've never wavered from the Guarantee upon which our company was founded. We want to bring you the best products at the fairest price, backed by the best service possible – on the Web, through our catalogs and in our stores. In our experience, that's the only way to create relationships that stand the test of time.