Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to the best idea yet early and ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. All right, Jack, best all time superheroes. You can only pick one. Here you go. It's definitely not Superman. Because Superman was born with unbelievable superpowers. Yeah. Now, Iron Man, he built his iron suit with his bare hands. He's a self-made superhero. But the only superhero who is a head of state...
is the Black Panther. Oh, you gotta worry about policy, tariffs. I mean, that's a lot to worry about if you're a superhero, not your typical gig. Nick, who do you got? Batman wasn't bit, granted, or given any superpowers. Other than a trust fund, he didn't have any of these freaky superpowers. True. Bruce Wayne, he's kind of a Nepo baby, but he made it work, Jack.
But as you can tell, it is very rare yetis for there to be a very clear number one in any particular category. Out of all the products we've done on the show. There isn't a clear number one winner. We did the iPhone, but Jack, technically there are three times as many Android users globally. So is iPhone really number one? But there is one product.
that has an undisputed champion. One product that's been on top and stayed on top, ironically, by staying under your bottom. The Tommy Bahama Beach Chair. If you've been to the beach in the last 15 years, you've probably noticed there's two types of beach chairs. The Tommy Bahama beach chair and then all the rest. Oh, and you can spot the Tommy Bahama beach chair by its colorful exotic patterns, much like...
the island business casual shirts that the company is known for. But what really distinguishes this beach chair is all the bells and whistles. It has a pillow. It has a side pouch. It has a built-in cooler. It can lay down flat. So it's actually also a beach bed. Jack, this is an engineering marvel. It folds up into a backpack so beach goers can carry the rest of their seaside gear in both hands. We swear this isn't sponsored content. We're just both huge fans of this chair.
The Tommy Bahama Beach Chair commands 75% of the market, with around 2 million chairs sold every year. And these chairs first debuted in 2009. After Tommy Bahama, the company had already been in business for over. To tell the story of this chair, we'll need to get into the origins of Mr. Bahama himself, who, by the way, is not a real person. The company, though, was founded in the early 90s by a couple of besties in the second acts of their careers.
This duo worked hard, ironically, by building a brand all about not working. No shoes, no job, no problem. Tommy Bahama's target audience is boomers, but this chair has become a millennial obsession. This is the story of how Tommy Bahama bounced back from a rocky start to become the go-to uniform for relaxed dads. The first name in beach chair.
and a global branding empire worth close to two billion bucks. And we'll tell you why this iconic beach chair almost never happened until one tenacious exec fought her boss for her best idea. We'll hear why startup founders are more than just hoodie wearing tech bros and why lifestyle branding is like writing a great novel. Just make sure to brush off the sand before you put the beach chair back in the car. Here's why Tommy Bahamas Beach... chair is the best idea yet.
From Wondery and T-Boy, I'm Nick Martell. And I'm Jack Cravici-Kramer. And this is the best idea yet. The untold origin stories of the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. They change the game AI might be the most important innovation ever. It's storming every industry, with literally billions being invested. So buckle up. The problem is that AI needs the right data and a lot of speed and processing power.
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Waves gently lap the white sand beach below the deck of a cozy beach house in the chill snowbird town of Naples, Florida. The sun is just starting to set, turning the sky a fiery red. Over on the deck, two 40-something couples are sipping on homemade Mai Tais as the warm gulf breeze ruffles their hair. The wives, they're chatting and watching the fishing boats go by as their husbands are staring at the grill flames. And then they circle back to their favorite subject, work.
and how amazing it would be to never go back to work. By this time in the mid-1980s, the husbands, Bob Enfield and Tony Margolis, aren't ready to retire yet. Bob, he's got a thick head of hair, already turning silver, and a tan it took him all vacation to cultivate. Tony, on the other hand, he's got dark hair. It's a little more sparse on the head, but he's got a 200-watt incandescent smile that he flashes when he's trying to catch the bartender's attention.
The two have been friends since 1969, when they were both managers at a clothing company that no longer exists. Well, these days, they're actually still working together over at a Seattle-based clothing brand called Genera.
But right now, they're enjoying the last few moments of their vacation. They're at Tony's beach house. But Bob and his wife have a beach house too, just up the shore. These couples love the vacay lifestyle. And they dream of a day when they can throw their neckties into the Gulf, Mexico. and never go back to the office again. And this daydream becomes such an obsession that Bob and Tony start riffing as they flip the burger patties. Imagine a fictional character who could actually live the life
that we could only dream of. Yeah. Yeah, a middle-aged guy, but like an active middle-aged guy. Like, picture some guy who's playing 18 holes in the morning and then taking the Mastercraft out on the water with the usual crowd for sunset. And this guy, he's got a trust fund. that he never discusses, but it means he never has to go back to work. Actually, not just a trust fund. This made-up guy has an inheritance from his late parents.
who abandoned him in a coconut field when he was a boy. This guy, who they're envisioning, is a full-grown man with an ideal island lifestyle. Part Jimmy Buffett, part James Bond. He drinks Red Stripe and smokes hand-rolled cigars. Bob even comes up with a name for this make-believe hero of theirs. Tommy Bahama. It's got a nice ring to it. Bob and Tony end up jotting down the details of Tommy on a legal pad.
Writing Tommy's backstory is fun, but at first, his purpose isn't totally clear. Was this a branding exercise? Was it the start of a new business idea? Is this like a character from an Elmore Leonard novel? Like, what was the point of this? They're not sure. Maybe he's just fun to talk about. The man on permanent vacation. And then, well, they simply drop it.
Tommy B is just an inside joke between the two of them. The legal pad gets tucked away into some desk, and Bob and Tony just move on with their lives. Until one very tough week at the office in 1992. We mentioned that Bob and Tony work at a company called Genera. It's a company known for...
Hypercolor, a type of color-changing fabric that has a brief viral moment in 1991. Apparently they sold $50 million worth of t-shirts in a single three-month window. But then the hype faded immediately, and within a year, Genera is... suddenly filing for bankruptcy. And Bob and Tony are faced with unemployment at the age of 50. So with no prospects.
Tony asks Bob, hey, Bob, you still have the stuff on that island guy? Funny you should ask, because you know what? Bob does still have it. So Bob digs out that legal pad from his desk drawer and dusts off all those notes. All that island guy lore they came up with? Why not make it the basis of a new clothing brand?
named for Mr. Coconut himself, Tommy Bahama. Now, their first logo is not a coconut, but a palm tree, nestled like a middle initial between Tommy's first and last names. But the brand's mascot, brand ambassador, and style guru, Tommy himself. If you can picture Tommy wearing it on the deck of a catamaran, it's in the collection. And we're not talking fishing vests and cargos, are we, Jack? Not at all. They hone in on the leisure category. This Tommy will be upscale casual.
Silk shirts, linen trousers, sandals, no socks. Okay, should be simple, right? These guys just draw up the clothing, do the designs, get this stuff made. But despite having two lifetimes worth of experience in the clothing industry... Neither Bob nor Tony are designers. They've both been on the managerial track, so they're going to need help translating their pretend character's wardrobe into an IRL clothing line.
They reach out to their buddy and colleague, a man 15 years their junior with a strong chin and an even stronger sense of style. His name is Lucio della Gasparina. Now, they don't just hire Lucio, they actually bring him in as a third co-founder and resident designer. And what Lucio designs for Tommy can be described as...
Elegant tropical clothing for men with disposable incomes and approaching middle age. Comfortable, loose-fitting shorts, tailored, flattering pants, and their signature product. The camp shirt. Jack, can I go full Anna Wintour on you for a second? Do it. Okay, the camp shirt. That's actually short for camp.
collar shirt, a style of short-sleeved button-down that can be traced all the way back to Filipino and Cuban men's fashion from the late 1800s. It's a cut kind of like a bowling shirt, but more breathable. Ernest Hemingway? Yeah. he would rock these things hard. Now, Tommy's not a rules guy by any means, but our co-founders do establish some brand guidelines around the original Tommy Bahama shirt. First, it'll be 100% silk.
Second, it'll feature bright flowery patterns evoking the flora of a Caribbean getaway. And third, and most strategically, the shirt will use vanity sizing. This is when the sizes are deflated to make it appear like you are one size smaller than you actually are. Vanity sizing shows a good understanding of their target audience and that sales comes down to psychology. These are guys who maybe
Remember themselves as wearing a medium, even if their bellies have grown into a large. Tommy Bahama does not want you stressing about your waistline. He doesn't want you to stress about anything. In fact, after all, you're on vacation when you're wearing Tommy Bahama. As for our three founders, Bob Enfield, Tony Margolis, and Lucio Dalla Gasparina, they're not stressing either, even though they have some challenges to overcome. For one...
All three of them live thousands of miles apart. Lucio is going to oversee production and design over in Seattle, a city that's home to lots of apparel companies. So there's already infrastructure there, an experienced talent pool, and plenty of leftover thread.
Meanwhile, Tony will act as the president and the CEO from his home in New York City. And Bob, he'll handle sales marketing from his home in Orono, Minnesota. They're building a distributed company across three different time zones, even though this is the PZE. the pre-Zoom era. So up next, Jack, we've got the people in place. We've got the product in place. Let's talk money.
Because anytime you launch a business, you're going to need some startup capital. You also need someone to make that product. And here is where the Tommy Bahama trio get really smart. These three are able to raise $1.5 million through their friends and family. But then, through their contacts in the garment world, they find a factory in Hong Kong that's willing to pony up some cash as well. And provide the manufacturing support. They're feeding two birds with one scone.
Add all this up, and they are launching their company with a pretty significant war chest of about $2 million. That's over $4 million adjusted for inflation today. The actual name for their company is Viewpoint International, but that's not important right now. They launched the Tommy Bahama brand officially in 1993. Bob, Tony, and Lucio, they assume that they're going to be profitable within a year. But you know what they say about assuming.
Don't ever do it. Launching a lifestyle brand based off a fictional middle-aged male character ain't as easy as flipping those burgers in Naples. This part often gets left out of the fashion history books. But despite their strong infrastructure, the founder's years of expertise, and a $2 million runway, Tommy Bahama spends the first two years on the edge of disaster. And we can chalk it all up to three big mistakes. Mistake number one.
Overpaid. These guys, they simply paid themselves too much. They're all coming from six-figure executive positions. So naturally, they pay themselves six-figure salaries. But this startup doesn't really have the capital to sustain that for long. doesn't go as far when as much of a quarter of it is tied up in executive pay for your founders. Not a write-off, guys. Mistake number two, over-clothed. They actually launched three clothing lines all at once.
There's Tommy B's, of course, for middle-aged vacationers, but they also launch a line of teenage skater boy clothes called Gear for Urban Training. Is this an April Fool's joke gone wrong? This ain't gonna work, man. And finally, mistake number three. It involves their distribution strategy. How they're getting their products in front of people. Okay, if you heard our Juicy Couture tracksuit episode.
You'll remember that Juicy built their brand by selling to small boutiques at first. This let them build relationships with tastemakers and bespoke retail buyers without getting overwhelmed by massive orders that they couldn't keep up with if they'd... partnered with department stores. But Bob, Tony, and Lucio, they say, forget the small boutiques.
We're going to leapfrog straight to the big leagues, big department stores. These guys considered themselves seasoned pros. They had decades of retail experience, so they were used to dealing with the big guys. But here's the problem, Jack. As a label, Tommy Bahama. is a total unknown. Big department store chains, they don't like taking risks on an unproven brand named after some fake dude. That is not how Bloom is does business. It looks like Tommy Bahama might be sent off into the sunset.
and shut down before it even gets off the ground. The guys are desperate to save the company. So finally, they swallow their pride, they switch strategies, and they start selling to small stores instead of department stores. There we go. Smart pivot. Little by little, boutique by boutique, Tommy Bahamas becomes a trusted menswear brand for a relaxed beachfront living.
Two years into their venture, their burn rate has slowed, meaning they're no longer losing cash like a drunken sailor on shore leave. Our co-founders have started to build deep relationships with men's shops in the sandy coastal resort towns where Tommy Baham would probably shop himself if he actually existed. But it is not enough to just stop losing money. They need to start making money and they need to do it fast. So we think that what the Tommy Bahama boys do next...
It's going to surprise you. Let's chat about our presenting sponsor, Amazon. Yetis, a little inside scoop on how Jack and I record the show. We call it Big... Tuesdays. Because here's the thing. We have a daily show as well. The best one yet. So on Tuesdays, we spend three hours in the studio to record the best idea yet. After we already spent two hours recording our daily show beforehand. Big Tuesdays. They remind us of the double sessions we used to do as athletes. You gotta hydrate.
You also got to be efficient. So we don't have time to run an errand for milk or hit up the pharmacy for cough drops. That's why shopping for everyday essentials on Amazon is part of our daily and weekly routine. As we realize we need something, pasta, paper towels, light bulbs, boom, we add it direct.
into the card. Especially on Big Tuesdays. Jack, last week, I ordered a microphone on Amazon. I didn't even tell you it was a write-off. I figured, what the heck? Now, for the non-podcasters listening, you probably got your own version of Big Tuesdays. A back-to-back afternoon of meetings. It's the worst, but it happens With Amazon, you don't need to drive anywhere or hit up multiple stores Save the everyday with deals from Amazon
The room is filled with rows of workers, but no one is looking up. Dozens of heads are bowed, concentrating as they feed bolts of cloth through sewing machines. Their feet press gently on pedals. The bobbins spin rhythmically. It's surprisingly quiet on the factory floor of this Hong Kong clothing manufacturer.
It's also brighter as the windows bathe the rows of sewing machines in natural light. This factory is churning out hundreds of pieces every hour. All items that our co-founders, Bob, Tony, and Lucio, plan to sell. But there isn't a single... silky button-down shirt in sight. No hibiscus prints, not even a measly palm tree. The items getting folded, stacked, and boxed up for shipping are plain pleated khakis.
Now, ironically, for a lifestyle brand with such an iconic beach look, the first truly profitable thing that Tommy Bahama does is create a private label division, making basic clothes for some other label to be sold at a random 400 store chain. Think of this gig like a professor taking a night job as a janitor just to make ends meet. kind of ironic survival work because Tommy Bahama is all about permanent vacation. And playing khakis, yeah, that definitely screams work week.
Plain khaki pants aren't their dream product. It's just a way to pay the bills as Tommy Bahama keeps building its reputation and its client base across the coastal towns of America. And at the same time they take on this private label work, the Tommy co-founders also reduce their own salaries and they kill off those other failed clothing lines.
By the end of 1994, they're finally in the black. Not only that, they have about $2 million to spend on some marketing for Tommy Bahama. So the first question Bob, Tony, and Lucio asked themselves, what kind of marketing should we spend on? Well, we could do a glossy ad campaign for the pages of GQ, or they could shoot a TV commercial, maybe featuring some namey celebrity. How would Brad Pitt look in Tommy Bala? I think we'd all like to know that. But Nick, all these fancy...
marketing ideas. They sound expensive. And these brand advertising campaigns, there's no clear ROI. Also, Jack, they feel a bit conventional. Like TV ads, leave that to the gap. So instead, Bob, Tony, and Lucio start channeling Tommy Bahama's brain, his mindset, his values. And they hatch a wild idea to raise the Tommy B profile in a way their brand's fictional namesake might dig.
The plan starts perfectly normally by opening a standalone Tommy Bahama retail store. Remember, previously they'd been selling Tommy Bahama clothes wholesale for other stores to sell. But this would be a brick and mortar shop all their own. Now, of course, an entire retail store is way more expensive than a print ad in GQ. But it's also an investment with the potential to become a profit center instead of a cost center.
Bob, Tony, and Lucio find a space in Naples, Florida for their flagship Tommy Bahamas store. It's not too far from Tony and Bob's beach homes where they had their very first Tommy brainstorm. And because Florida real estate is plentiful and cheap in the 19... 90s, they end up with way more acreage than they needed. These guys set out to find a 2,000 square foot space, but they end up with five...
Times that. That's right. A 10,000 square foot cavern. What are they going to do with all this extra space, man? So then they ask themselves the one question that has never led them astray. The question that has informed every single thing about their brain. WWTD. What would Tommy do?
Bob, Tony, and Lucho, they all pretend as if Tommy is a real guy. It's like they're method actors getting in character, channeling their inner Tommy. And while they can't literally call him up on the phone, they do have a pretty good feel for his tastes and... his wishes. They'll let the brand make this decision.
The brand decides, hey, if Tommy's going to have a beach pad, then he's going to want some home goods, like some rugs, some furniture, maybe an ottoman or two. Why not refreshments too? Why not a juice bar? Put it right in the store. Let people get some vitamin C while they're shopping. Oh, wait, scratch that. Forget vitamin C. People want vitamin B, as in Bacardi.
Why not put a tiki bar in the middle of the store? Sip on a daiquiri while you're waiting on that changing room. That means you aren't really waiting, are you, man? Even better. How about a daiquiri and a meal? I like it. Why not have steel drums playing with umbrellas in the drinks? ceviche on Wednesdays. And if there's a wait for your table, just go spend 25 or 30 minutes shopping for bucket hats in the store. What would Tommy do? WWTD.
So in November 1995, just as the geese and the retirees are flying south for the winter, Tommy Bahama flings open the doors of its first ever retail store that is way more than a store. And just three months later... order up some fish tacos because the restaurant is open too, baby. This is an insane retail concept at the time. Like if the Olive Garden merged with a Macy's, but you know what?
It works. And since restaurants tend to be open late, the retail side gets to keep late night hours too, which grows sales even more. Crucially, this Tommy Bahamas restaurant is located on 3rd Street in Naples, which is the shopping and dining district that every vacationer goes to on Friday night. They've chosen the location where their precise target customers, people on a beach vacation, are both hungry.
and ready to shop. And now, Jack, I'm not sure how good Tommy is with math, but can we look at his numbers for a moment? Building the restaurant cost $1.2 million in 1995. That's less than their initial $2 million advertising. Not only that, Jack, but sales at this retail store slash restaurant hit another $2 million in year one alone, much of which they credit to the restaurant pulling in new customers in the evenings.
By 2001, sales from the Tommy Storsterats climbed to over $7 million annually. The restaurants are double dipping. They're the commercial that pays for itself. Old Tommy, he's as smart as he is fictional. But to hear what he does next, you're gonna want to sit down. Literally. Imagine the sun-drenched beach house from the start of our story. The one where Bob and Tony first sipped Mai Tais, overcooked those burgers, and dreamed up Tommy Bahama. Well, we're back.
But now, 20 years later, our three co-founders are raising glasses of champagne. It's 2008, and Bob Enfield, Tony Margolis, and Lucio Dalla Gasparina have all decided to retire. They're finally going full Tommy! Nothing but deep tans, beachfront barbecues, and shuffleboard arguments for these three from now on. They actually wind up doing
a bunch of charity work, but there's plenty of R&R in Mai Tais, too. Jack, it's been a great 16-year run for the brand and its parent company. By 2008, the company's revenues are close to half a billion dollars, thanks to strong sales and a very timely acquisition. Because five years earlier, in 2003, the apparel conglomerate Oxford Industries acquired Tommy Bahama for $325 million. The merger was friendly.
In fact, Oxford is run by an old buddy of Tony's, and the deal left all three co-founders in place to continue running the brand, only with fresh cash in their pockets from the sale. There's one little thing that they do change from the acquisition deal. It comes with a new Tommy Bahama logo. This is when they get the jaunty marlin that leaps into the air. Classic. From palm tree to Marlin and from a few notes scratched out on a legal pad to $325 million, not too shabby.
But now, let's leave Bob, Tony, and Lucio to their fun runs in pickleball and say hello to Tommy Bahama's new brand president, Doug Wood. Doug has been at the company for seven years, and he definitely understands the general Tommy vibe. With a wide smile, a shaved head, and a confident outlook, he is ready to lead Tommy Bahama into the future.
Unfortunately, that future starts with the 2008 Great Recession. The biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression had a pretty big impact on American spending and style. Like, no more McMansion houses. America... is downsizing. Casual luxury gets tossed out, especially when your company's tagline is literally, make life one long weekend. That sounds totally out of touch at this moment in the economy.
And a recession, that just sounds like losing your job. So this is the year that sales of Tommy's resort wear don't just fall for the first time. They drop by a staggering 40% after the 2008 crisis. It's home city of Naples, Florida. Dozens of new residential communities get abandoned, half built, as money dries up and real estate values plunge.
The subprime mortgage bubble hits Tommy Bahama country hard. So our guy Doug's very first task, steer Tommy Bahama through this storm. And he decides to steer things in a counterintuitive direction. You see, most clothing brands know the economy's tough, money's tight, so they don't spend it. But Doug, he goes on a spending spree. more Tommy Bahama stores, more home goods, more restaurants, more e-commerce, more tequila baby, and more limes. Here is Doug's bat.
People might not be able to afford that Caribbean getaway because of the recession, but they might be able to pretend they're on vacation by getting a swordfish steak at the Tommy Bahama restaurant in Tampa. turn that vacation into a staycation. We've said it before. Small, affordable luxuries actually fare pretty well during economic downturns because they replace bigger ticket spending. If you cancel a family trip to Disney, suddenly that
day trip to Great Wolf Lodge feels really affordable in comparison. It's retail therapy on a small scale. And it is in the midst of this major pivot that one Tommy Baham executive proposes a new product. One that might meet customers where they're at in this new moment of austerity. It's the ultimate product market fit because it fits your backside when you're lounging.
Jack, after seven years of us podcasting, it is finally that moment. Are you ready for this? It's time to talk about the beach chair. Finally. The person behind the best-selling beach chair in history actually keeps a pretty low profile. She has a slight build, sandy-colored hair, and a corporate-sounding title. Chris-Ann Furchiato, Senior Vice President of Licensing.
for Tommy Bahama. Chrisanne only has been at two companies in her entire career. One is Tommy Bahama, and before that, Ralph Lauren. And that should tell you two things. She understands the importance of a strong brand identity. And number two, Chrisanne does not make moves casually. As the VP of licensing, it is Chrisanne's job to ask,
Does our name belong on X product? Will this be a good partnership? Will it represent us well? She is not going to pursue just any product. Chrisanne is about one thing and one thing only. Trust. Consumers usually can't tell whether a brand is actually making something or just sticking their name on someone else's product in a licensing deal. That's the whole point of licensing. Your brand name on a product means you stand by it.
So if the product breaks down after a single wash, that can destroy your reputation. Licensing is 110% about trust. The George Foreman grill worked great for George Foreman because it was a genuinely great grill. Air Jordans, iconic, worked out great for Jordan. Not so much Haley Welch's Hawk to a meme coin or Hulk Hogan's Pastamania restaurant.
Got some quality control issues there. So yeah, Chrisanne takes licensing very seriously. But she's got a proposal to put the Tommy Bahama brand on a product that she needs the President Doug Wood to hear. She's going to pitch a collab. with the outdoor camping brand, Shelter Logic, for, you guessed it, a beach chair. So there she is in Doug Wood's corner office, feeling a little like a vacuum cleaner salesman pitching a skeptical housewife. But Christiane plows ahead anyway.
This chair has five reclined positions, including totally flat for sunbathing or propped upright for tailgating. The chair is lightweight to carry, too. Check out these backpack straps. But it also supports weight up to 300 pounds. No body shaming here for our heavier customers. Oh, and just feel this frame. It's so sturdy. Nothing like those flimsy beach chairs you might be picking up over on the Jersey Shore. And it's got a cooler built in.
It can fit an entire six-pack or the side pocket can hold every essential item from your phone to a cold beverage to your buddy's phone Forget about a vacuum cleaner, salesman, Jack. Chrisanne is pitching this thing like a young Billy Mays. So after her best pitch for this beach chair, she leans forward to hear Doug's reply. And Doug says, no. Specifically, he says, how does that fit with our brand?
Sorry, Doug. How does that not fit in with your brand? I mean, Jack, 16 years into their journey, Tommy Bahama has moved BLN silk shirts. They got swimwear. They got home goods. They got an island-themed restaurant where you can crush a mahi-mahi and a mojito. How does a beach chair not totally mesh with this vibe? For Doug, the hang-up isn't the chair itself. It's where he sees the chair being sold. At a sporting goods store. Tommy Bahama is a casual luxury brand.
The shirts are pure silk. The pants are linen. The duvets are 100% cotton. Doug just can't picture anything with their brand sitting next to polyblend tents and camping stoves. So Doug is basically seeing this camping gear company and thinking, this doesn't fit with Tommy. Like with partnerships, you're often going by feel, and for Doug, the feel's just off.
Even Tommy Bahama's founders thought about this back in the day. Apparently, they had this epic argument once about whether the fictional Tommy would own a tie or not. They couldn't decide. And these are the guys who created Tommy. But I'm still team Chrisanne here, Jack. A beach share just makes total sense for a beachy brand. And lucky for all of us, Chrisanne sticks to her guns.
When Doug Wood tells her that the beach chair is bad news, she replies with one sentence. It's a damn good chair. I like it. But Chrisanne has another bit of ammo in this fight. She points out that the chair's canvas fabric isn't just fabric. It's a billboard. The back of the chair is ideal for Tommy Bahama's jaunty Marlin logo and bright patterns. It's a way to differentiate from all the generic camping and beach chairs out there. And it's free ad space
all across the beach for Tommy Bahama. This ain't just any chair. This is elevated beach lounging. And unlike with an actual billboard, this is a revenue driver, not a cost. Yeah, sort of like Tommy Bahama's retail stores. in a quaint suburban neighborhood. This has Doug thinking. Beach chairs that look like the classic Tommy Bahama shirts. That could be a good match. I can picture the hibiscus pattern already.
WWTD. If Tommy Bahama were to sit in a beach chair, I guess this would be the beach chair. But Chrisanne is still not done. No, she ain't. There's one more reason to say yes to this chair. And it's actually just... Just one word, but it's a powerful word. Yeah. And that word is Costco. It's been 80 years since World War II came to an end in Europe. And Wondery is marking the anniversary with three brand new seasons of British Scandal, The Spy Who and Legacy.
In our podcast, British Scandal, we uncover the bizarre tale of William Joyce, dubbed Lord Hoar Hoar, the plummy voice traitor who became Hitler's favourite broadcaster. His radio catchphrase, Germany Calling, reached millions of British listeners. But behind the mic, Joyce's loyalties were anything but British. In the latest season of The Spy Who, we open the file on Hardy Amy's The Spy Who Dressed the Queen.
Fashion designer Hardy Amies lives in two worlds, one of elegance, where he dresses Hollywood icons and royalty, and another in the shadows, where he orchestrates assassinations in Nazi-occupied Belgium. And in our podcast, Legacy, we're talking about Joseph Stalin, a murderous dictator who saved the world from another murderous dictator. The man who defeated Hitler, but also the man who oversaw the deaths of millions of his own people.
How did he get away with it? And why is he so popular in Russia today? So whether it's a double agent, a dictator or a disgraced broadcaster, get stuck into Wondery's VE Day specials from British Scandal, The Spy Who and Legacy. Find them wherever you listen to podcasts or binge the full seasons early and ad-free on Wondery+. Look, we know Costco is a big deal. We did do a whole episode on their Kirkland signature label. Man, I love that Costco episode. But here's...
how big Costco is. By 2009, Costco has more than 500 locations, 140,000 employees, and $70 billion in annual sales. Jack, could you sprinkle on some context to what this deal would mean for our Tommy Bahama buddy? Costco wants to stock their stores with the Tommy Bahama beach chair. And the first order of chairs alone would be a guaranteed $250,000 in cash right now. $250,000?
You could buy a lot of Arnold Palmers, man. In 2009, the Tommy Bahama guys are thinking, hey, in this economy? Yeah, we'll take it. Tommy is short on cash right now because remember, sales dropped big during the financial crisis. 40%. That same financial crisis. is sending more shoppers to discount clubs. So right now, Costco is the place to find customers. But Jack, even with these wonderful reasons you just listed to team up with Costco, the partnership does have some risk.
Costco's industrial metal shelves and the no-frills displays, that's not exactly the retail environment Tommy Bahama's used to. It's a far cry from the chilled-out, sun-bleached wood aesthetics Tommy Bahama cultivates in their own stores. This is the... exact brand mismatch Doug Wood had been trying to avoid. Tommy has been targeting the country club set, not the wholesale club set. Yeah, 2,000 thread count sheets, not 2,000 count packs of diapers. So will Tommy Bahama beach chairs resonate?
for bargain hunting customers? Or will it cheapen the Tommy Bahama brand hanging out next to tubs of tuna fish and cases of mayonnaise? Well, fortunately, besties, we actually have some data that might put Doug's mind to ease. We know from our- Kirkland episode that Costco's average shopper has a higher median income than folks who shop at other wholesale clubs. So a casual luxury label, that is not necessarily out of place in a Costco aisle six.
Also note that Costco is extremely choosy about the products that occupy their shelf space. They don't want to overwhelm shoppers, so they limit the varieties of every product that they offer. In other words, they'll carry just one or two high-quality beach chairs, shining a spotlight on whichever brand that they pick. Curation. is queen at Costco. And all of these elements come together to spell one thing for the Tommy Bahama beach chair.
Cha-ching. Yeah, sales of that share, they take off immediately. Tommy doesn't report their sales numbers for this very first beat season, but Tommy will come to sell about... 2 million shares every single year. In addition to the 2 million shares that they sell, they also sell 700,000 beach umbrellas, and those are sold separately. At that point, Tommy Bahama is estimated to...
dominate 80% of the market for beach chairs over 30 bucks. That's approaching Google-level dominance. Just in this past year, the New York Times Wirecutter Review Service ranked the Tommy Bahama Beach chair as best in category. And so did CNN. This is the rare case where the product is beloved both by the critics and by the mass public. Yeah. The chair is both the best rated and the most popular. I mean, if this chair were a high school senior, it would most likely to succeed. and best hair.
And Costco doesn't just carry this chair during beach season. They carry it all year round. It was actually this very fact that made us want to cover this chair in the first place. Because Costco figures out people don't just need a good chair for the beach. They need them for... football season. Oh, and for grilling season and for hot chocolate season. No matter what time of the year, their customers find reasons to buy this chair.
Costco is thinking three steps ahead, man. The very act of sitting down for multiple hours outside, that is not limited to your two weeks of vacation. Seasonality, never heard of it. Tommy Bahama has since then gone on to sell 27 million chairs and counting. It is a key piece to what is now a 32-year-old lifestyle brand empire worth $1.7 billion, covering retail, wholesale, hospitality, and licensing. In 2023, Tommy Bahama even opened up their own Palm Springs Resort.
What would Tommy do? Probably run his own hotel. Because Tommy's a little jealous of Margaritaville. And he would probably also order the room service. Can we just say, it's a good thing President Doug Wood had a sense of humor about doubting the beach chair early on. talks about it in interviews, and he gives Chrisanne Furchiato full credit for her persistence. Hey, it's easy to laugh at yourself when you're laughing all the way to the bank. All right, Nick.
I'm done evangelizing. I've converted you. You're part of the tribe now. Probably have a Tommy Bahama beach chair in your shopping cart right now. Yeah, now that I know you own seven of these things, what is your takeaway on the Tommy Bahama beach chair?
Not all founders wear hoodies. When you say the words startup founder, you often associate that with like a 20-year-old Ivy League dropout in a hoodie and sandals. Your Zucks, your Gates, your Jobses. But the average age of a startup founder is actually 42, because the qualities that factor into a startup success are things an experienced worker is more likely to have, like industry expertise, relationships, connections.
Don't forget startup capital. A 40 year old is more likely than a 20 year old to have savings set aside to invest in a new company. Totally. Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook by moving fast and breaking things. But that's not on the business plan for most startups. For every company that starts out of a college dorm, there's more that start because a few co-workers decide to spin off an idea and do their own thing.
Bob, Tony, and Lucio. So get down with those middle-aged founder vibes, because not all founders wear hoodies. But Jack, what about you? What's your takeaway on the Tommy Bahama beach chair? When it comes to crafting your brand... identity be a Hemingway. We all know what Tommy Bahama stands for. Relaxation, chill vibes, and grilling on the beach. But you only get to that strong brand identity by creating a touchstone that embodies those values.
And Tommy Bahama's founders created that touchstone by crafting a fictional character right out of a novel. They literally brainstormed every detail of this fake dude's life, his preferences, tastes, choices, as if they were real. It's a really efficient way to build your brand guidelines without an 800-page slide deck.
And if you're creating a fictional character to be your mascot, do what any good author does. Make that character three-dimensional. Yeah, the founders, they would ask, what would Tommy do? And that unlocked all sorts of unexpected brand integrations, like restaurants and...
hotels. By contrast, Doug Wood almost missed the beach chair because he was focused on the narrow question of sporting goods stores instead of going back to Tommy. Jack, it is hard to imagine the fictional Tommy Bahama not loving a brightly patterned beach chair with a pocket for a six-pack. Either way, though, when it comes to crafting your brand identity, be a Hemingway. Before we go, it is time for our absolute favorite part of the show, the best facts yet.
These are the hero stats, the facts, and the surprises we discovered in our research but couldn't fit into the story. All right, Jack, you already got beach chair access over here. Why don't you hit us off over there? You look very comfortable. I have a Nana who lives in Naples.
She's wonderful. She's listening right now. Hey, Nana. She's the best, by the way. So yes, I've been to the OG Tama Bahama restaurant. Yeah. It's actually where I had my first group. We got to put a plaque up there, Jack. Here's another one for you. Tommy Bahama has been known to crash a movie set or two, like this moment from Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar. There are so many gorgeous men there. We're talking Tommy Bahama from head to toe. Tommy Bahama.
WWTD Jack, what would Tommy do? He would keep selling those beach chairs. And that, my friends, is why the Tommy Bahama beach chair is the best idea yet. Coming up on the next episode of The Best Idea Yet, dig up that old toy chest and find your Claude the Crab. Or maybe your Mystic the Unicorn. How about your Batty the Bat? Because we're talking Beanie Babies.
Hey, if you have a product you're obsessed with, but you wish you knew the backstory, drop us a comment. We'll look into it for you. Oh, and while you're at it, give us a rating and review. Five stars helps us grow the show.
Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery app, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to every episode of The Best Idea Yet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself. by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey.
The Best Idea Yet is a production of Wondery, hosted by me, Nick Martel, and me, Jack Kravici-Kramer. Our senior producers are Matt Beagle and Chris Gauthier. Peter Arcuni is our additional senior producer. Our senior managing producer is Nick Ryan, and Taylor Sniffen is our...
managing producer. Our producer is H Conley. Research by Brent Corson. This episode was written and produced by Katie Clark Gray. We use many sources in our research, including the 2001 feature, A Brand is Born by Mike Hoffman for Inc. It's not just you. Tommy Bahama Beach chairs are everywhere. By Nathaniel Meyerson for CNN Business.
Sound design and mixing by CJ Drummler. Fact checking by Brian Pognit. Music supervision by Scott Velazquez and Jolina Garcia for Freesound Sync. Our theme song is Got That Feeling Again by Blackalack. Executive producers for Nick and Jack Studios are me, Nick Martell. And me, Jack Ravici-Kramer. Executive producers for Wondery are Dave Easton, Jenny Lauer-Beckman, Aaron O'Flaherty, and Marshall Louis.
I'm John Robbins and joining me on How Do You Cope this week is the podcaster Hannah Maguire. Something might happen like the other day. I dropped a sandwich on the floor and I had to go and cry in the toilet for 10 minutes. But it wasn't really about the sandwich. It's all of the stuff that happens. before and because of the gap i now have those things are easier than they were before but it's not fixed but i i get longer before the meltdown now
So that's How Do You Cope, with me, John Robbins. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.