Product diversification is enabling Beau Ties Ltd. of Vermont to tighten its hold on a niche market.

By Matt Griffin and Catalog Success

Further, Beau Ties gets about two dozen requests a week to convert four-in-hand long ties to bow ties. For $30, the company’s seamstresses will convert everything from brand-new ties from Nordstrom to old ties hanging in the back of a customer’s closet.

To grow the business, Kenerson and Venman have learned to listen to their customers and explore new possibilities within their chosen niche. One recent development is a new line of four-in-hand ties. Until last year, even with the custom business, they had turned down requests for four-in-hand ties in their popular fabrics on the grounds that bow ties were the specific piece of the neckwear market in which they were interested.