A Word From the Sperry Tents Family – A Tidewater Tent is Simply Not a Sperry Tent

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As many of you are the first to receive a call from a newly engaged bride, or any individual that is planning to host an event, we would like to reacquaint you with Sperry Tents.  Most of you are familiar with our tents but you may not be aware of the evolution of the product or of the fact that we just finished and moved into a new 10,000 square foot warehouse and manufacturing facility in Rochester, MA (stop by, it’s the big wooden barn in the center of town). We also want to address a matter of immediate concern regarding what an authentic Sperry Tent is and where you can rent them.

I had hoped to save this letter for the “off-season”, but there is already enough confusion out there that I feel we should create some clarity regarding the matter before we are in the midst of the September and October wedding madness and all of the sudden it is November.  It is often said that “imitation is the ultimate form of flattery”, and that “if you are going to be original, you can expect to be copied”.   Well, as you may or may not be aware, there is now a ‘knock-off’ version of our tent designs out there that is being promoted as “sailcloth tents” for “fair-weather events”.

Our obvious concern – in fact it has happened – is that people are going to confuse these new tents with ours and we will be associated with tents that cannot stand up to the elements. Or worse, these tents will fail in heavy weather and people will assume all sailcloth tents are fragile, leaky structures.  With over 30 years of innovation and refinement in response to the demands of both our customers and the Mother Nature on the coast of New England, we are highly confident in our tents and the event services we provide.  Along with the new facility we have also invested in a new computer cutting machine and state of the art machines for sealing the reinforcement patches and the seams, all of which contribute to a product that is both durable and watertight. We are not building ‘fair-weather’ tents.

We want people to understand that this new product is not a Sperry Tent, and that the only place you can find an authentic Sperry Tent is from the licensed Sperry Tent companies found on our website (please see www.sperrytents.com for locations). Something being called a sailcloth tent from anyone other than a licensed Sperry Tents rental company is simply not a Sperry Tent.

I appreciate you taking the time to read this.   We look forward to continuing to work together with you.

Best Wishes,

Tim Sperry