Wingtip, an Overview
In my capacity as Founder & CEO, I started the company from scratch, and grew it to $10M in revenue and 60 employees at its peak. Launched as an eCommerce site in 2004, raised $7M in equity capital across 3 rounds between 2005-2017, recruited, retained, hired, fired, marketed, blogged, email blasted, opened a brick-and-mortar store, serviced customers, negotiated leases, implemented systems, managed projects, managed finances, designed products, designed custom software, produced videos, produced trainings, interviewed by press, ran Board meetings, worked with partners, worked with vendors, and most of all, tried to make every decision through the prism of the customer experience.
If there was one thing I heard over and over from members and guests, it was an appreciation for the attention to detail. From coasters made of suiting fabrics to bowler hat pendant lights to wine locker name plates done in gold leaf and calligraphy to the custom artwork on the elevator doors, almost everything was done for a reason. I say “almost” for a reason: despite the details impressing just about everyone, I could list another 1,000 details that I hadn't gotten to yet. It's why this has been one of my favorite TED Talks.
Most importantly, and perhaps unique to private clubs as a concept, is the community that has been formed amongst members and staff. Lifelong friendships. Business partnerships. Memories forged over a once-in-a-lifetime dram of whiskey, a master class in preparing foie gras, or celebrating Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday by swing dancing to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy with 300 other members & guests. All else aside, Wingtip’s legacy will ultimately be the community that was formed within it.
Videos
Your business on MSNBC
JJ Ramberg of MSNBC visited Wingtip to see how we've created a unique shopping experience that caters to people who, like myself, appreciate the finer things in life. Cocktails and Clothes: Creating a Full Blown Lifestyle Company. 5 minutes.
PSFK: Future of Retail
At PSFK’s Future of Retail 2016 event, I shared my “unique vision around building a community anchored in Wingtip's extracurricular offering.” When Hospitality Blends with Retail, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the F Bomb. 15 minutes.
Opening Soon by Design
Before we were a store and club, we were a website. Launched in 2004, we moved into a old naval hangar to use as a warehouse in 2006. A reality TV crew for HGTV chronicled our journey from empty space to Superbowl party. Requires Amazon Prime. 22 minutes.
The Wingtip website is one place to learn more about the concept, but we also got some good press:
Harvard Business Review, Shoppers Need a Reason to Go to Your Store — Other Than Buying Stuff
Hoodline.com, Wingtip's Clothes, Club, More Cater To Those With Class
Product Development
Wingtip’s original retail assortment focused on branded goods — small, boutique-y brands like Peter Millar (before they entered department stores), Alfred Dunhill, Moore & Giles, Luciano Barbera, Bills Khakis, Stefano Bemer, St. James of London, etc. Over time, we introduced a few private label and proprietary products.
Custom Manhattan Cart
While technically not a product for sale in the store, this was a true labor of love. The Manhattan is the best-selling cocktail at Wingtip by far, so this Cart was designed from scratch, funded through whiskey and vermouth brand sponsorships, and then commissioned to allow for table-side Manhattan customization. Featuring twelve whiskeys, four Italian sweet vermouths, three bitters, four different cocktail cherries, and a CO2 glass chiller to ensure your glass is cold, over 500 Manhattan combinations are possible.
california cowboy x Wingtip
The first time I walked into the budding California Cowboy store on Polk Street, I knew I’d have to do something with them. As someone who must dress for every occasion, of course I should have a shirt specifically for time close to a pool or the ocean. The result was a custom toile inspired by the cocktail program at Wingtip. The limited run of 250 shirts sold out quickly.
#ASHTAG ASHTRAY
This was a project near and dear to my heart as someone that enjoys a fine cigar. The ashtray has engraved hash marks every ⅛ of an inch so that a cigar smoker can measure how long their ash is. The goal was to have customers use the hashtag “#ashtag” with photos of their long ash cigars to show off. With two other concepts that I hope to complete someday, I’ll be in an elite group of people with three unique ashtray designs to their credit.
The Early Years
George J. Good
One day, while walking to class, I noticed a Help Wanted sign in front of a very traditional men’s store called George J. Good. It opened in 1930 when young men wore suits, hats, and smoked pipes in class. Only a little had changed in the store since then. The main brands were Hickey Freeman, Robert Talbott, Southwick, and Alden shoes (before they were cool). I ended up getting the job and working there for two years in two stints, working 40-50 hours a week while taking a full course load. I was responsible for all the grunt work like receiving, pricing, and cleaning, but I was also very good on the store floor because I had a natural interest in the products (I’m probably one of the few college students that had two tuxedos while in school). George J. Good was exactly like the old school men’s store that is disappearing from the retail landscape, and its spirit was something I tried to infuse into Wingtip.
Sherlock’s Haven
I got into cigars in college which coincided with the “cigar boom” fueled by Cigar Aficionado which debuted in late 1992. I spent a year working the floor at what Forbes magazine named one of the top ten tobacconists in the world. Responsibilities included helping customers, staying abreast of new cigars, cleaning, and closing out the register at night. The “Cheers”-like atmosphere at Sherlock’s resulted in friendships that I still count 20+ years later.