AlohaEddyLine

Aloha, Dick Braeger!

On March 2, 2012, the local Newport Beach, CA. newspapers headline read:

“Dick Braeger, Garys Men’s Store Owner and Cole Haan Shoe Company Founder, Dies at 74.”

And why does this headline mean so much to me?

In 1995, I was living in Honolulu, HI., and 2600 miles away from the Garys store at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. This is not a typo, as there isn’t an apostrophe after the ‘y’ in Garys.

Garys was my favorite men’s clothing store, and my favorite shoe store since they carried a full line of Cole Haan footwear, which wasn’t surprising since Dick Braeger, the owner of Garys, was also the co founder of Cole Haan shoes.

I flew to Southern California sometime in March, 1995 to attend a couple of important meetings with clients in Newport Beach. I decided to take advantage of my stay in Newport Beach and drop by the Garys store as I needed some new dress slacks. Fortunately, Steve Ramenofsky, my friend, and favorite sales guy was working that day, so he helped me find some new slacks. He knew what I liked, and almost always found the right pants, the right jacket, shirts, or whatever else I might need. 

Steve knew quite a bit about my retail and real estate background, and started asking me me some questions about my work in Honolulu while I was standing in front of a full length mirror asking their tailor if he needed to make any alterations to the new slacks I decided to buy when Steve looked at me and said, “Have you met Dick Braeger?” and I replied, “I don’t think that I have.”

He paused for a moment, appearing somewhat embarrassed, to tell me that Dick had plans to open a few of his new ‘Garys Island’ stores, and intended to hire a retail consultant to identify and recommend potential new retail store locations, negotiate the rent, provide market conditions, and quarterback the opening of a new store. “Isn’t that the kind of work you do, Bill?” Steve said. I said, “Absolutely.”

He apologized profusely for not thinking of mentioning my name to Dick Braeger. I said, “Steve, don’t worry about it. I’m living in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in Honolulu now.” He then asked me, “Would you have time to meet with Dick while you’re in town?” I said, “Sure, I would like that.”

Evidently, Dick was interested, and asked Steve to schedule a meeting with me later that afternoon. It was exciting to finally meet the owner of the store where I’ve bought most of my clothes for years,and,of course, my favorite Cole Haan shoes too.

I came back to the store later that afternoon for my meeting with Dick. Steve introduced me, then I sat down in a comfortable chair in front of his very large, but beautiful desk. His desk was covered with fabric samples, photographs, files, papers to sign, and, yes, even a couple of Cole Haan’s newest dress shoes.

Dick was gracious, and easy to talk, and talk we did. I was interested to hear how he got started in the men’s clothing business, and also the story behind the founding of Cole Haan shoes. He asked me questions about my business background, and seemed intrigued with my knowledge of retail, fashion, and merchandising. 

Guys like to talk to each other about sports, and my interview with Dick was no exception. Dick went to college at UCLA and I went to U.S.C. Everyone knows about their cross town rivalry in sports. All sports! We were both huge football fans, and reminisced about some of our favorite SC-UCLA football games - recalling the names of each teams notable quarterbacks, half backs, (They weren’t called tail backs then) and some of the memorable plays from certain games that made the difference in the final score. We both enjoyed that part of my interview. 

Evidently, our first meeting went well. Well enough to be invited back to his office for two more interviews. Our third meeting took place on the same day I was scheduled to fly home to Honolulu. Dick began the meeting by saying, “I think this might be a good fit, and we would work well together.” I thanked him, and said, “I think so too.” He asked me to put a proposal together after I returned to Honolulu, and send it to him. He said, “I think we can find a way to make this work for both of us.” 

I left the store that afternoon feeling pretty good about things. I was extremely interested in his new ‘Garys Island’ lifestyle store concept, because that was my lifestyle. These were the clothes I wore. It was a perfect fit, and I knew he would be successful with these new stores. 

I sent my proposal to him shortly after returning to my office in Honolulu, and hoping it addressed all the issues we discussed. What about my fees? Were they too high? I didn’t know, but knew I soon would. The first ‘Garys Island’ store was just over 900 square feet square feet, and located on a prime corner across the courtyard from the Fashion Island Garys store, and featured  a vast selection of multiple brand names - men’s, women’s and children’s resort apparel, sandals along with some Hawaiian table top items, and a few paintings and photographs depicting the tropical lifestyle. Brands like Reyn Spooner, Kahala, Jam’s World, Tori Richards and Tommy Bahama. In fact, Dick sold Tommy Bahama long before they opened their first retail store. 

About a month later, we reached a mutual understanding of the terms and conditions of my consulting agreement, which included my scope of work, identifying our target markets to open new ‘Garys Island’ stores, our mutual obligations, and my consulting fees. We had a deal! I prepared a revised copy of my consulting agreement for both of us to date and sign.

And guess what - that agreement was never signed nor dated by either of us.

We simply looked at each other, smiled, shook hands and confirmed the confidence we had for each other. I expected for Dick to sign his name first, but it never happened, and I never had to worry about it. That’s how it happened.

In 1960, Arnold Palmer, the world famous golfer agreed to retain Mark McCormack, a lawyer, sports agent, and founder of the International Management Group to promote and market the Arnold Palmer brand. Arnold didn’t need or want a written contract with Mark, but he did make it clear to him that his integrity with the media, his fans and the public was imperative. Mark concurred. “Your word will be good enough for me,” Arnold said.

Arnold shook hands with Mark McCormack, and told him, “We have a deal,” and that deal has worked out pretty darn well for both of them. 

Dick Braeger always kept his word with me. Over time, we developed a mutual trust, and respect for each other, and I never had to worry about being paid for the leases he signed. Never….

The word, ‘Aloha’ means “Hello,”and “Goodbye,” but it also means compassion, sympathy, love and affection. “The breath of life.”

Thank you, and ‘Aloha,’ Dick Braeger!
 

Introducing Ms. Sarah Williams…

Whether I like it or not, I am the patriarch of the EDDY family. Yes, I know. That simply means that I am the oldest. I do, however, still have all my own hair, and most of it is still brown. OK, maybe there’s a little gray here and there, but it is still mine.

Believe it or not, there has been there has been considerable encouragement from my family and a few good friends (Russ Knocke, you are an inspiration) to write a book about my life, my experiences, and the EDDY family, and, by the way, some of them are doing their part to add more little “crumb crunchers” to the family tree.

Dr. Carol Nicholson, my good friend, and wife of Steve Nicholson, also my good friend, and fraternity brother at U.S.C. spent the weekend last year at our home in Palm Desert, CA. for some golf, and relaxation. A couple of years ago, Carol started writing forensic mystery novels, and short stories under the name, ‘Elizabeth Carroll.’ 

During their visit, she told me all about this wonderful book coach, editor, author and freelance writer by the name of Sarah Williams. She thought Sarah would like my writing, and offered to contact her and introduce me. “She may be interested in working with you,” Carol said.

The following week I exchanged e-mail messages with Sarah, and, at her request, sent her 3 of my favorite ‘The Eddy Lines’ for her to read. She read them, and said she liked what she read, and encouraged me to pursue these crazy thoughts I had about writing a book. “What do you want to write about?” Sarah asked. “Who’s going to read your book?”

“Well, I know my family and some close friends and business colleagues would, but I’m not writing this book to become a success author, or make lots of money.” I told her that I wanted to provide a legacy about the EDDY’S, as well as my entire family, to write about my life, my struggles, in a way that, hopefully, the readers will relate to in their own life. I want to encourage people to “Go for it” in life. “Don’t be afraid to fail.” I want to share my values and beliefs, and write about my role models - particularly my father. I want to write about the ‘loves’ in my life, and I want the people that read my book to learn a little, and laugh a little. Actually, I hope they laugh a lot. 

“I’m writing this book for the family that knows me, and those that never will.” “I have all these memories of the stories told to me by my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and mother and father, along with so many interesting photographs, family genealogy, letters, and other documents.” I said, “I believe this is what I’ve been chosen to do, and this is the time to do it.”

Sarah and I had our first phone conversation on ‘Skype,’ to begin getting acquainted. She asked me several questions, and suggested a format and weekly schedule for my writing. “Write about 2500 words each week,” she said. That was in May 2011. I sent her the first draft of my book the following month. And I’m still writing today.

As Sarah so aptly states on her website, “We take care of the words.” And that she does. She is a highly experienced writer, and runs a copy-writing company. She is also the owner of ‘“Wordsmith TM,” a brand development and corporate communications company, and “The Book Consultancy,” a company designed to help and support writers at every stage of the creative process. She studied at the ‘University of Oxford,’ and the ‘University of Sussex.’ Add to that, the publication of over 80 books. Somehow, she finds time to serve on various boards, and is active in a number of clubs. Heck, I’m worn out just writing about her accomplishments.

OK, I just took a deep breath. Sarah is the founder of “Thriller School,” a weekend workshop to help aspiring crime fiction writers. Writers like my friend, Dr. Carol Nicholson. Oops, I meant, ‘Elizabeth Carroll.’

“What’s the title of your book?” you’re asking. I’ll tell you very soon, so check in with the ‘Aloha Eddy Line’ soon.

Aloha for now…

Bill Eddy

Sarah Williams

Aloha Eddy Line

“Hey Bill, when are you going to write another Eddy Line? I haven’t seen one for quite a while, and really enjoy reading it.”

Anyway, my response has been something like this, “We’re designing a new website that will be easier to read, more informative and an expanded ‘slideshow’ format with more photographs of many of our past, and present retail, restaurant, and owner/developer clients displayed in our diverse lifestyles. You’ll notice that we’ve added a few photos taken of different locales in Hawaii, and for a distinct reason. Keep reading, and you’ll discover why we did this.

The way we do business and promote our brand has changed, and Social Media is the engine driving these changes. Linda and I want you to know more about who we are, what we like, and what we do, and the world out there.

One of these new worlds is the business of creative writing, which is basically what The Eddy Line - Timely real estate news.. has been all about. 

We will continue to write Timely real estate news..but think it is time to expand our horizons by adding the one word to our title that is universally recognized. That word is ‘Aloha.’  We proudly introduce you to the new - ‘Aloha Eddy Line.’

Why add the word, Aloha? 

‘Aloha’ - Can be meant as a greeting, a farewell, an expression of love, or best of all, an attitude or a way of life. As many of you know, I lived in Hawaii for over 11 years, and also met my wife, Linda there. That says it all. 

The new ‘Aloha Eddy Line’ has set sail, and is underway on a new journey. We will post stories on special people, interesting places, and thoughts about the world around us. 

As you might expect, you’ll find us on our website - www.theeddycompany.com, as well as Twitter, Linked in, and Facebook.

Next time I’ll introduce you to Sarah Williams. Who’s Sarah Williams? I’ll tell you who she is, how we met, and how she’s changed my life.

“A famous city’s most famous landmark.”

 You probably expected to see a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge!

Not today. The Golden Gate Bridgewas completed in 1937, and the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge was completed in 1936,but long before that came the city of San Francisco’s wooden Ferry House, the San Francisco Ferry Building, which opened in 1898. The Ferry Building became the transportation focal point for anyone arriving by train from the East, and from residents living in the East Bay and Marin who worked in the city. Starting in the California Gold Rush and into the late 1930’s - it was the only way travelers and commuters could reach the city, unless they lived on the Peninsula.

On top of the building is a beautiful clock tower that was designed after a 12th century clock tower in Seville, Spain. The tower survived the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes with minimal damage. At one time, as many as 50,000 people a day commuted by ferry. The city’s famous streetcars went right to the entrance of the building, and a large pedestrian bridge spanned the Embarcadero. Truly, a memorable time in a city rich with history.

The opening of the Golden Gate and San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridges provided faster and easier access to and from the city, and over time the Ferry Building declined, losing its prominence as a city hub and transportation center. The building and clock tower remained as an integral part of the San Francisco skyline, but now passengers using the building waited on benches outside, and ticket booths were erected on the pier alongside. The interior of the building was demised into office space, It got old. It looked tired, and lost its importance.

Fortunately, Wilson Meany Sullivan, a privately owned real estate investment and development firm decided it was time to preserve this famous landmark and restore the Ferry Building paying close attention to the original architectural design. The Port of San Francisco selected the firm in 1998, and the rehabilitation work was completed in 2002. Today, this magnificent structure is home to the Ferry Building Marketplace featuring a Farmer’s Market, specialty and prepared foods, cookware and tableware stores, flowers and garden, cafes and small eateries, and some of San Francisco’s best restaurants.

New offices have also been constructed, and leased on the second and third floors of the building. An exciting place to be - and right in the middle of San Francisco’s most famous landmarks. The excitement is back. Both locals and visitors alike are enjoying this beautiful building in a whole new way.

Pop-up Retail…It All Started in a Trunk