HATS IN THE BELFRY EXPAND THEIR RETAIL SPACE AND SAY LIFE IS GOOD

The new owners of Hats in the Belfry - Skip Briggs, Ryan Seth and Jenny Seth - are adding the “Life is Good” merchandise to their retail hat offerings. If you don’t know this whimsical manufacturer of all things cool and happy, then you ought to familiarize yourself with this brand name. Their shirts have stick figures that dance and play sports and their mugs, towels, hats and caps are all busy having fun. According to a recent article in the The Capital (a newspaper in Annapolis, Md,) Hats in the Belfry will be adding 1,000 square feet to their current retail space on Main Street.

The new space was previously Karma Creations and will now house Life is Good merchandise.

Their goal is to expand Internet sales by eventually carrying a sample of the Life is Good product line on its Web site, www.hatsinthebelfry.com. According to Briggs, if the product line is successful in Annapolis, he would like to expand the Baltimore and Alexandria locations of Hats In The Belfry.

If you would like to read the story in its entirety read below:

Skip Briggs, Ryan Seth and Jenny Seth show off some of the merchandise available at Hats in the Belfry

Hats in the Belfry now dresses you from head to toe
By NICOLE YOUNG, The Capital Staff Writer

For Hats in the Belfry owner Skip Briggs, life is good.

Almost two years after buying into the well-known business at the foot of Main Street, he is doubling its size to more than 1,000 square feet across to accommodate a new line of clothing, Life is Good.

Known for selling every kind of hat from the baseball cap to the glittery chicken chapeau, Hats in the Belfry now carries shirts, beach towels, tote bags, mugs and of course, more hats.

"The brand is very much like Annapolis," Mr. Briggs said. "It's an attitude, it's a lifestyle and it all fits. There is a strong emotional attachment that people feel when you say Life is Good because it's a feel good brand. When I thought about the Annapolis customer base, I knew they were classic, like to have fun, but are still price aware. It just made so much sense to carry these items."

Mr. Briggs got involved in Hats in the Belfry in January 2004, when founder Courtney Garton hired him as a consultant.

Six months later he had signed an agreement for a gradual transfer of ownership, with the final sale set for completion in 2009. Both declined to disclose details of the transaction.

"I'd been with it for 27 years and I just wanted to do something different in my life," Mr. Garton said. "I could tell he was very passionate about the business and since he has pushed the right buttons and turned the right knobs."

The former owner of a family clothing business and later a vice president of regional clothing giant Jos. A. Bank, Mr. Briggs launched a consulting service designed to boost profits three years ago. Results or Nothing Partnership formed partnerships with its clients, and was paid only if there were results.

Time to expand

Mr. Garton and his ex-wife, Margie Bryce, founded the hat shop while they were working as school teachers. Over the next 25 years, the business grew and contracted, so that when Mr. Briggs came on board there were four locations and an Internet presence.

After Karma Creations closed up next door at 101 Main St., Mr. Briggs saw an opportunity and talked to the owner of the building about a lease.

"We had been looking in terms of expansion for years and looked in so many different areas," said Ryan Seth, vice president of the company. "The expansion was right under our nose, right next door the whole time."

Since completing renovations last month, Mr. Briggs said he has been able to expand his staff, adding three sales positions to accommodate the peak months of June through August. With four locations and an Internet presence, the business does about $700,000 a year in sales.

"We feel lucky to be getting on the curve with these products," Mr. Seth said. "We want to refine what we're doing and stay on top of the inventory and see our customers as happy with the Life is Good products as they are with our hats."

Jenny Seth, the buyer for the shop, has been working with the Life is Good company to stock the shelves with products appealing to area consumers. Mrs. Seth, who had previously only been a hat buyer, depended on what she was attracted to personally for the shop's product line.

"Life is Good is a bit different and we're trying to stick with the colors that make people feel that life is good and to make them happy, and we usually have what they want," she said.

Annapolis resident Elizabeth Beedenbender said she is pleased to see the store carrying the Life is Good brand. Ms. Beedenbender, who has four children, said her family have been fans of the brand since first discovering it on a trip to Massachusetts a few years ago.

"The kids love it and were thrilled to see this, because they wear it all summer," she said. "It's good, clean clothing and it holds up with the kids."

Life is good

Ms. Beedenbender said she also enjoys giving the clothing items as gifts.

"It's cute and everyone seems to love it."

Mrs. Seth said the shop hopes to expand Internet sales by eventually carrying a sample of the Life is Good product line on its Web site, www.hatsinthebelfry.com.

If the product line is successful in Annapolis, Mr. Briggs said he would not be opposed to expanding the Baltimore and Alexandria locations of Hats In The Belfry either.

"It's amazing with the store that when people come in, it's an immediate smile," Mr. Seth said. "When they walk into the store and read the Life is Good caption, that's the first thing, a smile on their face."