John M. Douthat, Allbrands owner is 2015 #VDTA/SDTA sewing and vacuum Hall of Fame Inductee.( David Oreck of “Oreck Vacuums” is the only other Louisianian in to receive this honor.)
John M. Douthat was born in Buckhannon, WVA in 1943. His father was a high school band director and mother a pianist and English teacher. John was in middle school in the late 50’s when he got a gilt from the FFA Future Farmers of America chapter pig chain to raise in his backyard in Webster FL. One of the grown up sow’s piglets cut open it’s stomach on a piece of glass in the pigpen. John got his mother’s needle and thread to sew up the pig who grew out and went to market. He thought his calling was to be a vet student at UF but graduated in economics and journalism. It was not until after he met and married sweet potato yam and sugar cane queen Annette Repp, an LSU Home Economics graduate, that they realized it was their mutual calling to eventually be in the sewing business. John worked for Ralston Purina Company in St. Louis who sent him to Washington University for an MBA in accounting. John and Annette spent a year each in Thailand and Korea with Purina building and starting animal feed plants. John then worked for AO Smith and Annette for Stretch & Sew Fabrics in Ft. Wayne IN. They opened a franchise in Baton Rouge LA in 1976 which became AllBrands.com in 1996 with 6 retail stores in Louisiana and now Texas. Twins John F Douthat. is IT director and daughter Barbara Chatelain is in charge of product management. Both work for AllBrands. Son In Law technician Seth Chatelain does all LA service. Daughter Dr. Yvonne Hartinger teaches voice at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.
Son Robert is an actor and videographer in NYC. Thank God for the many family businesses in the sewing industry who can take care of their customers, employees and vendors for the long haul. AllBrands with 49 wonderful employees is a buying agent for all of our customers, not just a selling agent for the manufacturers. John Douthat, Owner Tech,AllBrands.com Sewing Machines and Vacuum Cleaners.