Daniel Tagliamonte and Maria Sakran, the owners of Sea Culture Brand and Sakran and Shaw, took the paper off the windows of their brand-new retail shop on Black Friday. Located on 3 Genesee St. West, their joint operation took just three days to set up before they opened to the public.
Hearing about the abundance of store closings can discourage business owners from opening a retail shop. According to Coresight Research there was a 59% increase in store closings since 2018. But since opening in November, both Tagliamonte and Sakran say that they’ve been busy. There were even people waiting to come in the morning they opened.
“What we’re doing, a lot of people are saying is nice and fresh,” Tagliamonte said. “A kind of new take on clothing.”
Sea Culture Brand
Sea Culture Brand is a men’s clothing and lifestyle company that offers sustainable t-shirts, hats, polos and accessories. The brands style and sustainability are inspired by Tagliamonte’s love for water. Bamboo, recycled plastic bottles, and bottle caps are all materials used to ensure that Sea Culture Brand has a low impact on the environment. Tagliamonte started the brand by selling products on their website. Sea Culture Brand can also be found in 10 retail shops across the country.
Tagliamonte knew he wanted to open a physical location for his brand in Skaneateles after he hosted a pop-up shop there over the summer. He became a chamber member when he did the pop-up and asked to be notified if there were any shop openings available.
Three weeks before Tagliamonte got a call in November about an available spot, he met Sakran. She was the merchandising manager at L.L. Bean in Fayetteville, and he had just come on as a sales rep.
“We just barely knew each other when we started it,” Tagliamonte said. “We’ve grown like extremely close, during this whole thing.”
Sea Culture Brand and Sakran & Shaw Hannah Lees
Sakran & Shaw is an eco-friendly and animal friendly women’s accessories and clothing brand that offers scarves, t-shirts, headbands, purses and scrunchies. The brand was created in 2015 after Sakran met Elizabeth Shaw while they were working at Jes Apparel, a wholesale distributor located in Cazenovia. Before opening the store, their products were available online and at craft shows across New York.
Shaw designs and sews their products based off a pattern that Sakran makes from her photography. Shaw has a bachelor’s degree in fashion design from Marist College. She’s been a technical designer for over 10 years. Sakran, a Cazenovia College graduate, has a BFA in Studio Art and a specialization in photography.
Sakran and Shaw each had their own businesses before teaming up. In college Sakran was using her photography to make custom prints. Shaw started her own handbag and accessories line in 2012 called Elizabeth Richard, but she was using commercial prints.
“We kind of realized, okay, you know what, we fill each other’s needs,” Shaw said.
Tagliamonte asked Sakran to partner after he got the news that there was a space available. He thought the brands would balance each other out.
Initially, Sakran wasn’t sure if Tagliamonte’s offer was serious. Not to mention she was busy working full time and still had craft shows scheduled. But, opening a store was something she and Shaw had been working toward.
“I was like, is this the answer that I’ve been looking for?” said Sakran.
Last year the duo attended upwards of 40 craft shows including a yoga festival and the Middle Eastern Festival in Syracuse. Opening a store front allows them to attend less shows throughout the year.
Shaw lives two and half hours away from Sakran. She moved to the Hudson Valley two years ago and since then, they have been working together long distance. When the opportunity to open the store came up Shaw was excited for the opportunity. She trusted Sakran operate the store with Tagliamonte.
“Maria is an excellent salesperson,” Shaw said. “It’s wonderful that she can front the store.”
Display in Sea Culture Brand and Sakran & Shaw (Photo by Jeremy Hobbs)
Sakran has eight years of retail management and visual merchandising experience. This helped make the separate brands look cohesive in one retail space. Tagliamonte had a clear vision for the store.
“We kind of want the customer to flow through and stay a while,” Tagliamonte said.
The front of the store has a coffee table with books. The window display uses a mix of driftwood, wood crates and leaves. Artwork on the walls from local artists help to meld the nautical vibe of Sea Culture brand with nature inspired Sakran & Shaw.
Tagliamonte has had to reorder product to keep up with demand. Sakran said that even after bulking up in anticipation of Christmas that Shaw was sewing the entire season.
“Three weeks in we were like, we’re not giving the spot up,” Tagliamonte said. “This is like the best spot in town.”
