Chins Above the Counter
Bay Wear celebrates three generations and 25 years
By Sue Mabee Jameson
Sun contributor
The rule was that your chin had to reach above the counter before you could start working.
When I was a child, my dad and his brother, Richard, had 13 “Jumpin Jeans” stores north of Detroit. In 1975, when I was 16, my mom and dad (Jim and Sue Mabee) declaratively said, “We are moving Up North.” Dad sold the downstate stores to Uncle Richard, and we then opened a clothing store in Charlevoix. (I was excited to move, because I could have my horse at home.)
There are four of us siblings, and we worked as a family at the Clothing Company. Sometimes we got paid, sometimes we didn’t.
Customers were asking for sweatshirts and t-shirts for souvenirs. My sister, Judith, the artist in the family, came up with a design, and we had it printed on the sweatshirts and t-shirts—we would sell out in a weekend!
I remember when the building next to us came up for rent, and my dad and I checked it out. He asked me, “Do you think we can sell a whole store of sweatshirts and t-shirts?” That’s how Harbor Wear was born.
As my siblings and I grew up, and our families grew also, the business expanded. The expansion began with stores in Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Mackinaw City, and Florida. My ex-husband and I were the first to break out on our own — we opened the Suttons Bay store and the Frankfort store 25 years ago. The Glen Arbor store followed. We called our stores Bay Wear, as opposed to Harbor Wear.
Now I have three kids. They all love living in this area. Rod Robertson, the oldest, runs the store in Frankfort now. He and his wife, Toni, spend their winters in Puerto Rico teaching surfing. (He also teaches surfing here in the summer on his days off from Bay Wear.)
My daughter, Elizabeth Angov, and her husband, Petar, bought the Suttons Bay store and are running that, along with the help of Greer Hauxwell. Elizabeth and Petar have two boys, my grandsons: Georgi, who is nine, and Emmet, who is three. Georgi is very interested in the stores, especially the marketing aspect. He is always making signs to bring to people in the stores or thinking of a new t-shirt design. His chin is above the counter now, so you may see him in the stores this summer. Meanwhile, Emmet loves to show different styles to customers. Their love for retail is in their blood. Even their puppy works at the Suttons Bay store.
Rich, my youngest, has finally taken over the Glen Arbor store. I haven’t quite talked his lovely wife into working yet. He is learning inventory control, housekeeping, ordering, and the rest that goes on in running a store.
My new husband, Wayne, also works in Glen Arbor. He loves waiting on customers, but he is not so keen on folding shirts.
Today my sister, Jacq, and her husband own the Clothing Company in Charlevoix, along with the Charlevoix Wear store. My other sister, Judith, has Harbor Wear in Petoskey and Harbor Springs. My brother, Jim, and his wife, Ryan, have Harbor Wear and Color Wear in Mackinaw City. Additionally, our cousin, Mark, and his wife, Jen, have three stores in Door County, Wisconsin… And the list goes on and on with friends, old employees. I believe there are more than 20 stores altogether.
We pride ourselves on quality merchandise, and we stand behind our products. We work very hard to bring in the hottest colors, designs, and shirt styles—that’s where the young blood comes in handy. We keep our stores clean and organized with the help of our employees. We love receiving the Fudgies (tourists). We love talking to them and sharing our vacation mecca with them.
I feel very fortunate that I am able to provide for my family and live in “the most beautiful place in America.” In the summer, I try to squeeze in some paddleboard yoga. I love taking the grandkids to the beach or just hanging out at our Spoiled Rotten Ranch, riding or playing with the horses.
I also feel very fortunate that the businesses allow us to be able to give back—we donate 10 percent of the sales on our exclusive “Great Lakes” shirts and our “No Salt, No Sharks, No Worries” shirts to Buckets of Rain, a Leelanau County-based nonprofit that helps to build community gardens in inner-city Detroit.
Our idea is to “Spread the Fresh.” We sell our shirts to help people to remember their amazing vacation in this fresh, beautiful, bountiful area. Then we give 10 percent of the sales to Buckets of Rain to support their effort in helping people to have fresh water and fresh food. It’s a win-win.
Sue Mabee Jameson owns Bay Wear in Glen Arbor and Frankfort. Check out the community garden program at BucketsOfRain.org.
