Kara Soulia

President The Vermont Country Store

Last Reviewed: September 27, 2026

Executive Summary

Kara Soulia is President of The Vermont Country Store, the family-owned Vermont retailer founded by Vrest and Mildred Orton in 1946 and known for its catalogue of practical, hard-to-find goods. The Orton family named her in July 2025 to succeed Jim Hall, who was retiring in September after nine years as president. Her appointment was an internal one. She joined more than 20 years earlier as a fulfillment supervisor in the distribution operation, and she was Executive Vice President when she was promoted, having led the company’s operations, manufacturing, inventory management, customer service and retail functions.

Career Highlights

• Named President of The Vermont Country Store in July 2025, succeeding Jim Hall on his retirement in September 2025.
• Previously Executive Vice President of the company.
• Led Operations, Manufacturing, Inventory Management, Customer Service and Retail over a career of more than 20 years at the company.
• Began at the company as a fulfillment supervisor in Distribution.

Professional Journey

Soulia’s whole career on the public record has been at The Vermont Country Store. She started as a fulfillment supervisor in the company’s distribution operation. Over more than two decades she moved through leadership of Operations, Manufacturing, Inventory Management, Customer Service and Retail, and by 2025 she was Executive Vice President.

In July 2025 the Orton family, who own the company, announced that she would become President, succeeding Jim Hall. Hall had led the business for nine years. In that time the company expanded its infrastructure, developed private-label lines including Mountain Weavers linens and the M.MAC women’s apparel line, and built an award-winning website. He was to move to an Executive Advisor role on his retirement in September. Chairman Eliot Orton cited Soulia’s “deep knowledge of our business and its people” and her “fearlessness in taking on the toughest challenges” as reasons to entrust her with the company in a difficult period for retail.

In her own remarks Soulia stressed the company’s independence and its habit of promoting from within: “We do not follow the leaders in our industry. We do things our own way.” She pointed out that employees stay about ten years on average, well above industry norms. Her own career is an example.

The business she now runs was founded in 1946, when Vrest and Mildred Ellen Orton opened a store in Weston, Vermont, and printed their first catalogue. It is still owned by the family, Lyman Orton and his sons Gardner and Eliot. It sells through its catalogues, online and through two historic retail stores in Weston and Rockingham, Vermont.

Education

No education record was found in any source reviewed.