Tour Report No.2 as written by "Duffy"

Tuesday, June 8th
Our day on the Cape: Chatham should’ve been a big softball for us but a crotchety gate-keeper in one store and the lack of an owner/manager in another left us with just business cards for follow-ups. Oh well, all part of the game. Luckily for Nauti & Co, we have designer/model Nicco in our corner so P’Town was a slam dunk. We have been carrying our samples in a ladies Sea Bags tote that I bought for Lindsay so between the two of us walking around P’Town, my t-shirt with “Nauti” in large letters on the back, the bag and Nicco’s greek fire, we just had to put our heads down and suck it up (no pun intended). So, while I was sashaying myself about town, I was told that I committed a "fashion fopa", as my bag did not meet my shoes. Or in my case, my rainbow flip-flops. Needless to say the comment did not break my stride. It comes as no surprise that we found several great stores that would be perfect for Nauti & Co in any other town when we stumbled upon Drinx, a “Bad Ass Barware” store. The sales pitch went something like this: “Hi, I’m Nicco and I make badass barware”. Easiest sale of the trip. They loved the stuff and the store couldn’t have been any more perfect. Thanks to Sarah, the manager, and we hope to hear from you soon.

Monday, June 7th
From Martha’s Vineyard to Nantucket, life doesn’t suck. We literally ran to make the fast-ferry out of Hyannis to Nantucket which was a fun ride in 5 foot chop. We got air several times. That sucker moves.
In keeping with the theme of great hosts, we stayed with a college buddy of mine, Jenne Atherton-Verney and her husband Eric, who live on Nantucket year-round. Jenne runs a gardening business, Grey Lady Gardens, and seemingly knows everyone on the island as she has lived here since high school. The local knowledge of stores, and in some cases their owners, makes our job incredibly easier. As we have seen so far in our trip, the Nauti & Co products have been very well received once we can get past the initial salesman introduction. Luckily for us, Jenne’s friend from hs on Island runs two stores perfectly located on Main St: Anderson’s and The Hub. After a day of phone tag, we were able to meet with Tess right before we left which was well worth the wait. She was extremely insightful providing us with great advice from the POV of the retailer. We’re going to stay on her for an order in the next few weeks so hopefully you will be able to find Nauti & Co on Main St Nantucket by July. Thanks Tess for your time. Jenne: great to see you and thanks so much for the hospitality; Eric: no more inciting Greta during Pawn Stars, I promise & Greta: Willy and you can hopefully get your hump on sometime in the fall.

Saturday, June 5th
After some great hospitality in Boston, we hopped a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard for our first time. We were fortunate enough to meet Lauren Courtney in the store she runs, Blue Buoy, one of six her family owns in Edgartown. Choosing stores to approach has become sort of an art due to the exclusivity factor stores demand when dealing with a smaller, unique product line. As such, we hit the nail on the head with Blue Buoy and Lauren. She was super friendly and enthusiastic about Nauti & Co and her store is exactly where we want to be: great products, uncluttered and in a central location. We are thrilled to say that Nauti & Co. can be found at Blue Bouy in Edgartown by the 4th of July.