Find the Pig and Win a $45 Gift Card
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Lee Valley is Celebrating 45 Years – Find the Pig and Win a $45 Gift Card
Our 45th anniversary is not only an occasion to mark more than four decades in business but also a time to reflect on the company’s storied past.
One of those stories centers on the first contest offered by Lee Valley, announced by our founder, Leonard Lee, in his customer letter for the 1986/87 woodworking catalog. To stir up what he called the “competitive spirit” among customers, Mr. Lee challenged them to find a small toy pig pictured somewhere in the catalog. He awarded a Lee Valley T-shirt to the first 10 people from each province and territory who found the pink pig.
We hope you’ll join us in a bit of fun to help celebrate our 45th anniversary as we pay tribute to the past by reviving the find-the-pig challenge in 2023.
At each of our stores, every Saturday until November 18, a little toy pig will be awaiting discovery somewhere on the sales floor. The customer who finds the pig can present it at the store’s service desk and receive a $45 Lee Valley gift card.
Become part of the Lee Valley story. Drop in to our stores, discover products and keep an eye out for the wee pink pig.
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Original 1987 Letter
Dear Customer,
As I look back at last year's letter, I wince when I read the comments about not troubling you with details of international currency changes. The Canadian dollar has been ravaged in the last year. The cost of Japanese products has gone up nearly 60% because of exchange rates, Swiss 50% and German 42%. Others have been in a similar range. Only the British pound has remained within sight.
The increasing availability of good Canadian products partially insulates us from these changes. More and more Canadian craftsmen, designers and toolmakers are getting involved in this business every year. The bodger's froe and carver's drawknife are two examples of this; both are made by a Canadian smith. To concentrate our own efforts in manufacturing, we have incorporated Lee Valley Manufacturing Ltd. which will make and sell products to us as well as to foreign buyers.
Coming up in the next year are more finishing products, more hardware, more new tools and (the first time for us) a competition — "The Great Canadian Birdhouse Contest". Some details are given on page 191, where we ask for your input so that we can all have a bit of fun with this.
To get you in the competitive spirit, we will send Lee Valley T-shirts to the first ten people from each province and territory who can find a small, pink pig waving to them from somewhere on these august pages. Yours Sincerely,
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