What's Local?

JUPITER, FL – January 5, 2017 – A doodle on a napkin: That was the beginning of one of the fastest growing Florida-based apparel brand names ever. Little did anyone know that an illustration rendered over drinks at a local watering hole in St. Lucie County could – and would – turn into a monster enterprise. What did this doodle consist of? The word “Local” with the state of Florida replacing the “L.” A logo exuding simplicity that became the emblem representing a movement and a way of life; an idea that is attracting many from all over Florida – retailers and consumers alike; an idea that crafted a business that seemingly has no ceiling.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS, GROWING PAINS

Even though the logo was the spark, the flame didn’t successfully materialize until eight years later. Although there were stickers and t-shirts generated as the logo passed through some hands along the way, it wasn’t until local (no pun intended) entrepreneur Frankie Cecere came into the picture that the “cool-looking sticker” took the shape of a full-fledged brand. Cecere, a seasoned branding expert who has personally overseen the growth of 22 other business ventures, visualized the opportunity to create a company around the name and the logo that would not only revamp the initial shirt and sticker offerings, but go a step further and generate a catalog containing a wide variety of lifestyle-based products.

Thus, The Local Brand got underway where most of the biggest companies in the world begin, in a garage. It is here where Cecere himself began putting in the necessary legwork, spending late nights grinding away, producing copious new decal stickers and t-shirts that constituted The Local Brand’s first product campaign. Then, Cecere brought in partners to execute the other part of his initial business plan, which focused on building a strong online presence to promote brand awareness. After a few idea sessions, their first-edition product line was coupled with an aggressive social media campaign on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, drawing immediate attention from online users. The final touch came when The Local Brand’s official Website became live to the public on March 1st, 2015.

“It instantly took off,” explains Cecere. “I mean, it zoomed.”

A month after the Website’s launch, the small team moved to a 1,500 sq. ft. warehouse. For the first six months, The Local Brand exclusively sold their products online via their Website. Then, they launched their wholesale distribution channel, allowing them to sell their products through different stores – at which point the company took major flight. The movement became an institution, one exclusive to Florida. What was once a lone decal sticker on a beat-up stop sign rapidly transformed into shirts and hats and numerous other accessories donned by an ageless fandom. Cut to a year and a half later, The Local Brand is in 105 different retailers across the state of Florida, including Blueline Surf & Paddle Co and Ocean Magic Surf Shop right here in Jupiter. In mere months, they have pushed through the threshold of growth phases that usually come in years; their social media reach consists of two million in monthly traffic in Florida alone – and they have ample bandwidth for expansion to boot with projections into the mid-seven figures.

“We’ve experienced some growing pains along the way, but it’s been the kind of pain that most people dream about,” points out Cecere. “Our pain usually meant running out of product to mastering inventory control. It meant going through some significant learning curves, but we knew once we got past that and, with the right investors on board, we could handle the demand and take the company into the next phase. A year and half in, we are growing faster than any apparel brand before that operates within one state.”

But no great success comes without sacrifice. Cecere, for one, is constantly on the road, away from his family, laptop and branded products in tow – all part of his plan to solidify The Local Brand’s position amongst local retailers and bring others into the fold. The magnitude of this outreach has attracted several local personalities such as wildlife entertainer Manny Puig and Shark Addicts’ members Cameron Nimmo, Chris Cameron, and Mickey Smith. You can see them wearing Local gear on a regular basis.

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THE APPAREL

The Local Brand has certainly come a long way since the original decal stickers and t-shirts. Following the Website’s initial surge, the company began the production of a customized line of hats with various designs that play around with color variations and prints loyal to the Sunshine State such as the Florida flag or a hurricane in motion, not to mention The Local Brand’s signature under-the-bill printing. Once released, the hat line was, and continues to be, a massive hit.

“Right now, we corner the market on hats in the state of Florida,” assures Cecere without a shade of a doubt. “We pioneered the under-the-bill-printing; nobody does what we do with hats. Every time we design a new hat and make it available, we get an instantaneous flow of orders. It is one of the products where we most see the loyalty of our customer because we see orders of hats immediately after a new one comes out.”

Aside from hats, Local’s product line includes sunglasses for men and women, bracelets, air fresheners, anklets, cell phone cases with glass screen protectors, as well as other accessories. Cecere notes that Local looks to build up and substantially grow their branded product line. They have a swimsuit line for women and men, as well as sandals, coffee mugs, customized license plates, and many other concepts in the works. They expect to be able to provide well over 100 signature products available in the near future. The brand itself has gotten so popular that there are some people that have even tattooed the logo on themselves. And what is the appeal of The Local Brand? It’s subtle, according to Cecere, and people identify with subtle.

“As a brand, we’re not looking to make a lot of noise, therefore we believe those who buy and wear our gear identify with the simple and good life.” says Cecere. “To me, it represents all the amazing simple things that Florida offers.”

WHAT’S A LOCAL?

There is great depth as to what the name behind the brand symbolizes. All in all, Local is a company with a great sense of community – they exemplify that by building bonds with local retailers; a brand that strives to stay within Florida and remain successful from within. Although people visit and buy product from their Website constantly, The Local Brand believes that driving business to their local retailers is key not only because it yields success, but because it represents who they are as a company. They heed this to such a degree that they feel compelled to run a daily advertising campaign on Facebook: “Find a Local Brand Retailer Near You.”

“There is nothing more important to us than having and nurturing a good relationship with our partners,” says Cecere. “We know that it is mutually beneficial and successful. They get to eat and we get to eat too. We want to be the company that can help send their kids to college. This brand is built on such relationships.”

But what does being a local actually mean to them? Is it someone who was born and raised in the 561, 305, 407, or anywhere in Florida? Not necessarily, according to Cecere.

“We don’t promote or care, for that matter, if anyone is born here. You don’t have to be grown here to be a local,” explains Cecere. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve only been here for five years either, it’s all about contribution. As in, ‘what do you contribute to your community?’ In my opinion, any member of society that contributes to their city in a positive manner is a local. Because not only does a local provide a positive influence on his peers, he is also contributing to a local economy. Take me, for instance, I wasn’t born here but I’ve been here my entire life, and I have three Florida tattoos!”

GIVING BACK

In line with their definition of a local pertaining to contribution rather than birth, the Local team believes giving back is a major focal point and they altruistically put in the time and effort to help out Florida communities, as well as abroad. They accomplish this by organizing and being part of special events, campaigns, and fund-raisers that bring people together. These events include beach, lake, and sandbar cleanups across the state, and they do so with the help of Black Coral Rum and The Islamorada Beer Company. The Local Brand has also shown an initiative in providing support in the face of tragedy. For instance, in the aftermath of the tragic Orlando shootings, The Local Brand printed “Orlando Strong” t-shirts and decals, donating the proceedings to help out the affected families. And again they sought to contribute to others when Hurricane Matthew brought devastation to the Bahamas and some areas of northeast Florida. As a relief effort, Local worked together with Florida Free Divers to donate and deliver water, canned goods, diapers, and other products to both areas. Last December, The Local Brand ran “The Hand of the Leader” campaign for the benefit of the Florida homeless. The campaign involved
Cecere and longtime friend and barber Corey Struckey driving throughout East, Central, and West Florida providing the homeless with haircuts, food, and Local Brand apparel consisting of t-shirts, hats, and socks.

“We are committed to a responsible, respectful coexistence with every inch of this great state,” says Cecere. “We want to create a positive outlook while engaging with the community.”

In another beat of humanitarian effort, Cecere points that he and his partners are disgusted with the consistent disastrous damages that the releases of Lake Okeechobee cause to Martin, St. Lucie, and Palm Beach County’s ecosystem, and further, they are determined to develop a documentary film that will expose these damages in the hopes of triggering a more immediate solution.

“It has to be done the right way,” continues Cecere. “We want to be able to produce a short film exposing what it’s doing to our ecosystem and our waterways. It’s a large stretch and it’s a big deal.”

WHAT’S NEXT

With 39 locations from the Treasure Coast through the Florida Keys, well over 105 retailers statewide under their belt and an ambitious expectancy of doubling that number in the coming months, The Local Brand surges on, and they do so with a small staff and a giant work ethic. Pending licensing, The Local Brand looks to join forces with all Florida-based professional and collegiate sports franchises in the near future. With no small measure of pride, Cecere and The Local Brand crew can boast of being arguably the most successful apparel company that operates within a single state.

“We want to hold true to the name and what it means,” says Cecere. “To uphold the integrity of the brand is probably the most important thing that we can do. We want to stay local and do as many ‘local’ things as we can. We want to keep working with local retailers and we want to build relationships with them. Then, we want to have our customers go to these local retailers so that they produce sales and we all win; that is what forms the foundation of this company.”

For more information, please visit www.localbrandonly.com

Aside from their growing list of products, a crucial component that has helped get the word out about The Local Brand is their extensive visual promotion and advertising campaigns, the bulk of them being filmed and edited right here in Jupiter, Florida, right in the backyard of their own headquarters.

“The scenery in Jupiter is second to none,” says The Local Brand’s co-owner Frankie Cecere. “In one day, we can shoot at six or seven different locations that have completely different feels. We can shoot in the back of DuBois; we can shoot on the Jupiter Inlet side; we can shoot around the Jupiter Lighthouse; Coral Cove; Cato’s Bridge and on. It just tends to be where we gravitate towards, which is why the majority of our video and photo shoots are done here.”

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