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The Seaside Style b y K e v i n B o y l e
Seaside Post Office
I recall seeing a post recently on Facebook where there was a photo of a long line outside of The Seaside Style, the flagship store for the Seaside Associated Stores, in downtown Seaside. The sarcastic question accompanying the photo was, “Who would wait in a line this long for a t-shirt?” The irony of this post was not lost on me. Sure, it’s just a simple mono-chromatic shirt sporting SEASIDE across the chest. But after working in Seaside for over 15 years, I know it means much more than that, and not just to the customers buying them. It all began in 1984 with the vision of co-founder of the town of Seaside, Daryl Rose Davis. Davis took graphic design courses at a local college and hand drew the original Seaside logo. She originally sold the first Seaside t-shirts at her Saturday Farmers Market, which was an event used to help attract potential buyers to the town. The market evolved into the first retail business in Seaside known as Per-Spi-Cas-Ity “Our company opened new businesses throughout the years from concepts incubated in Per-Spi-Cas-Ity. The first store was a Seaside souvenir shop called Sue Vaneers. Today The Seaside Style has grown has grown into a lifestyle brand that is recognized worldwide,” says Vice President Erica Pierce. “What we sell is meant for everyone—not only the guests of Seaside, but anyone who wants to be a part of the story.” That story is very familiar to those who run the company, literally. Pierce runs SAS with her daughter, Makenzie Carter, who serves as the Assistant Vice President. Carter’s cousin and Pierce’s niece, Kendall Andrews, is the Director of Digital Marketing. The trend continues down the corporate ladder with brothers and sisters-in-law, husbands and wives, and siblings all working to capture the magic of the storied 30-A beach town and share it with visitors every year. To me, it sounds like a potentially awkward Thanksgiving dinner table every day of the year and you do not even have that delicious metal can Cranberry
“Daryl as a female entrepreneur has always been passionate about empowering women in business,” Carter says. “Not only has she helped woman in our company, she has also helped other female entrepreneurs get off their feet.” Pierce looks at it even more personally, seeing her daughter and niece rise in the ranks over the years. “I love seeing how Makenzie & Kendall have ma- tured,” says Pierce. “They took interest in the company at an early age and became a natural fit for the company because they have proven to be trustworthy, capable, and worked their way from the bottom up.” So, yes, Facebook keyboard warrior, it is easy to think that the line is just for a shirt. But the work behind the scenes to elevate Seaside and ultimately 30-A as one of the premier vacation destinations in the country tells a much more complex story. “Even though the SEASIDE® t-shirt has gained us national recognition, we have always concentrated collectively on the lifestyle of Seaside. Our stores started as souvenir shops and evolved through the years into a lifestyle brand by adding in elements of the home and curating collections that truly reflect a lifestyle of being in Seaside,” reiterates Carter. “We are never satisfied; we never feel like our job as leaders and creators is finished— we are always looking to evolve and improve.” The Seaside Style Flagship store is located in Seaside at 121 Central Square and Bump + baby is located at 63 Central Square, with the Beach, Kids, and Cabana by The Seaside Style being located on the beachside of Seaside. Spring hours are 10am to 7pm and please call (877) 508-9411 for more information. Shop online at TheSeasideStyle.com, Cabana Seaside.com, and BumpandBabySeaside.com and follow The Seaside Style on Instagram at @theseasidestyle, Cabana by The Seaside Style at @cabanaseaside, and Bump + baby at @ bumpandbabyseaside.
sauce to look forward to. You would never stop working or talking about work. Family gatherings and vacations become brainstorm sessions for the week, month, year ahead. But to this close-knit company, that is the advantage. “I truly enjoy being able to work with my family. I realize that is a huge blessing because most corporations don’t allow that,” says Andrews at her shared workspace with Carter and Pierce in their Seaside office. “We spend our workdays in a shared office and get plenty of togetherness, but I’m grateful for that, because otherwise I probably wouldn’t see them nearly as much.” The upward development within the company has always been an important facet of their success, avoiding the talent stagnation and preventing turnover, an Achilles heel of the retail industry. This focus on development has an emphasis on empowering women in the workplace as well.
Seaside in 1989
The Seaside Style Store
Architects
Seaside in 1981
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