Hi, it’s Tony, Founder & Chief Cheerleader of Hammitt. I live on The Strand, a long paved walkway that stretches between Santa Monica to Redondo Beach. On the Strand is where I share questions, ideas, and inspiration that cross my mind while on the strand.

Read on The Strand

Chop Wood, Carry Water by Joshua Medcalf is a fable about a young man’s journey to becoming a world-class archer. Without ruining the story, it reminded me of the value of being extraordinary at the most basic tasks. This was a great lesson to fall back on during the pandemic because it helped me focus on perfecting the basics. How we show up in even the mundane parts of work and life - emails, calls, everyday to-dos - speaks volumes about how we value these opportunities and connections.

Seen on The Strand

The sunsets lately have been unbelievable. My friend Adi lives in Marina del Rey, and we trade sunset pictures every day or so. There’s so much beauty and rest in those moments when we’re not glued to a screen or rushing to the next thing on our schedule. Go grab five minutes of a screen-free sunset today. You won’t regret it.

Thought on The Strand

My close friend had a massive heart attack on January 5th. Thankfully, he survived and is well on the road to recovery. My friend Brian and I decided to host a Celebration of a Second Life party for him. We’re giving our friends and his family members a chance to tell stories, share their love, and maybe even roast him a little bit. You’ve heard the cliché, “I wish I told _______ how much they meant to me, but now they’re gone forever…” You don’t have to wait. Make that call. Send the note. Get some face-time with someone you love - and then, tell them why they mean so much to you.

Asked on the Strand

“Why is Hammitt thriving instead of struggling during the pandemic?” Because Hammitt started in 2008 during the worst economic downturn in almost a hundred years. We stayed lean and built a strong foundation these past thirteen years because those are our roots. This year is our chance to show what we learned from 2008-2010 and what it means to be resilient in even the hardest of times.

Inspired

Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress, shared on a recent podcast how WordPress refers to their ‘remote’ team members as their Distributed Workforce. That’s powerful and much more inclusive than being labeled ‘remote’.  Words create your reality and attract the future you want. That’s why we don’t have a “customer service” department at Hammitt - everyone on our team is focused on the customer like a concierge desk. Our communal effort makes our customer’s experience so much better right from the start - and way past their first Hammitt.  

‘See you soon on The Strand’,

Tony