Photos: Maeghan Spurr
When seaside retailers think of name-drop merchandise they often consider its appeal to visitors to the area, but when mother and daughter duo Pam and Alyssa Smith opened Locally Yours in Plymouth, Massachusetts, they had more than visitors in mind.
“We started back in 2018 when I was still in college with the idea that our town was missing some really cool local apparel,” Alyssa says. “We started focusing on landmarks in our town that aren’t necessarily for the tourists so we do local beaches and places that the locals really love and love to represent.”
Customers can find a variety of apparel and coastal gifts like candles, coasters, home decor and pillows. Alyssa describes the store as having a coastal touch without being “too over the top.” “Everything is whitewashed with gray tones. Just the perfect amount of flare.”
White Horse Beach, Long Beach, Bug Light, the local lighthouse, and Brown’s Bank, a sandbar that can only be reached by boat, are among the local hot spots that can be found on various items in the store.
Hoodies, coffee mugs and pillows are some of the popular name-drop items that locals flock to. And it’s not just the name of the location. The local ZIP code 02360 and the latitude longitude coordinates, 41.9584 N, 70.673 W, get a lot of traction. The store also sells a fair number of hats and apparel that play up the town’s nickname, America’s Hometown.
“Locals like to represent where they come from in the apparel they choose, and the home decor that has their hometown on it is just a reminder of where they come from,” says Alyssa. “We also have a lot of people in town that have beach houses and the items also mean a lot to them.”
Locally Yours specializes in all things Plymouth, which locals love.
Visitors to the store also know they are getting something unique. Pam is a graphic designer and Alyssa studied fashion merchandising in college. They design the all the logos that appear on the apparel, glassware and tea towels.
“They are getting something totally custom, something they aren’t going to find at any other store on the waterfront,” says Alyssa.
Popular everywhere
This name-drop trend extends beyond the Massachusetts coast. According to Tamara Moran, president of wholesale company Town Pride, the custom name-drop trend is more popular than ever.
“Consumers want to bring back a piece of their time in a destination and hold on to the memories of that experience,” she says. “There is also a growing trend in town pride, a sense of community and pride around where you live and the community you are part of.”
And there are many ways names can be dropped. It doesn’t have to just be the spelled-out location.
“Beyond the name of the town or state we can incorporate coordinates, ZIP codes and area codes. We are also seeing a trend in elevations and the last three digits of a ZIP code for larger demographics.”
Town Pride carries a variety of merchandise that can be customized. Apparel is one of its top selling categories for seaside destinations. And it’s not just T-shirts and sweatshirts. Knit custom sweaters and custom blankets are very strong for second homes, boat owners and tourists, Moran notes.
“Our custom map collection is one of our top reordering lines,” she says. “Seaside locations offer lots of interesting points to add fun graphics like beach umbrellas, lighthouses, sea animals, sail boats and ferries. The hyper custom nature of the line is so unique consumers just can’t get enough of it.”
“Locals like to represent where they come from in the apparel they choose, and the home decor that has their hometown on it is just a reminder of where they come from.” – Alyssa Smith
Nautically Northern’s latitude longitude cuff bracelets can include the latitude and longitude of any location etched into them. The use of the latitude longitude coordinates are a more subtle way to keep a special place close to the heart than using the actual name.
“The most popular locations are beaches or general town locations,” says Nautically Northern founder, Laurel Ryan.
A no-brainer
Carrying name drops is somewhat of a no-brainer in for a seaside store. “A name-dropped product will always out-sell a similar product that is not customized,” says Tara Merrill, sales and marketing manager, Cape Shore. “When a customer is shopping for souvenirs, they are looking for an item that will bring back memories of their trip — whether they hang it on the tree once a year or use it for that first cup of coffee each day. A pretty, high-quality product will sell, but if you add a name drop with a city, state or tourist destination, it elevates that product and catches the customer’s eye.”
Merrill recommends being as specific as possible in the message that is being used. “Using both the city and the state will increase the value of the product and make it more enticing to the customer,” she says. “If your location is near a popular beach or state park, use that to your advantage and add a few items with that name drop as well.”
Ornaments and drinkware bearing name drops are bestsellers in seaside shops, according to Merrill. “Don’t be scared to carry ornaments year-round. They will sell no matter the season.”
Karen Sotomura, owner of Joseph K. Co., agrees that souvenir ornaments are always an easy item for visitors to buy. “When the ornaments are regionalized and name dropped with the store’s location, they become the best sellers,” she says.
“A pretty, high-quality product will sell, but if you add a name drop with a city, state or tourist destination, it elevates that product and catches the customer’s eye.” — Tara Merrill, Cape Shore
Renee Gutzwiller, founder and creator of Island Haus Co., agrees. “We are seeing a huge uptick in sales with our name-drop coffee mugs and ornaments,” she says.
Souvenir retailers are in the “Where have you been?” business, notes Brent Durham, owner of Brass Reminders. Because of that, name-dropped souvenirs simply sell better than generic souvenirs, he says.
“If you are in a coastal area, your customers are looking for memories of their trip,” he says.
Differentiating the drop
Setting your seaside store apart in its name-drop selection is possible. Moran suggests retailers look for the more unique options and fun trending products with name drops. Those just starting out, might try something that isn’t only hyper local, but includes 50% broader name drops like the state or the coast and 50% more niche like city or town, she advises.
Daisy Mae Designs has a collection of over 10,000 vintage maps. “You name the location, we’ll find the perfect map in our collection for the product,” says owner Kristy Sickles. “Our kitchen linens are really popular and easy to incorporate into any decor.”
In Sickle’s experience, the more specific the item, the better it does. “Often, shops will start with state maps for our collection, then later order town specific merchandise and find that the more specific items generally sell better because they are unique and difficult to find.”
Merrill says that variety is key. “Offer a mix of realistic, fun and natural designs so that you are meeting each customer’s needs.”
Ryan suggests picking products that evoke emotion. “Name-drop items should make a customer remember all the great memories associated with the name-dropped area.
Local love
“Selling a name-drop product like TownWear is a great way to help your customers celebrate your town that is so cherished and meaningful to them,” says Jessica Medeiros, vice president of BER Inc. – TownWear.
TownWear is an apparel brand that celebrates what makes each town special by highlighting three images chosen by each retailer that are meaningful and unique to their town.
“These chosen images are featured in our trademarked triptych on the back of your shirts,” says Medeiros. “We also use a letter logo with wave cut-out on the left chest of your shirts that call out your town name.”
“Every town-loving tourist and community member wants to hold onto the places they cherish most.” — Jessica Madeiros, TownWear
TownWear apparel also showcases coordinates that go directly to a seaside store, or to a landmark in the community. The coordinates are found on the right sleeve and under the triptych on the back of the shirts.
“Every town-loving tourist and community member wants to hold onto the places they cherish most,” says Madeiros. “You cannot go wrong with carrying a product that highlights the place where they build some of their most cherished memories and milestones.”
Souvenirs that sell
Brass Reminders Decals offer a free name drop on its display of 32 designs. Stores can use different name drops on different designs.
“Our name drop decals are among the top grossing products per square foot in many stores,” says Durham. “You might not expect it from a $6.99 retail decal, but our display holds over $9,300 of product at retail, and stores can turn that several times a year. Customers don’t just buy one, they buy several at a time. They are one of the most frequently purchased items in coastal stores.”
As for overall name-drop product advice, Durham suggests that seaside retailers shouldn’t name drop all of their offerings the same way.
“Have a variety,” he advises. “For example, if your store is on Cocoa Beach you should name drop most things Cocoa Beach, but you might name drop a few things ‘Florida’ and ‘Space Coast’ as well. If your store draws from several beaches, have some of each of those beach names on your display.”
Whether your store caters to the hometown crowd or the vacation tourist, you can offer quality name-drop products that help your customers feel close to their favorite destinations.
