Ad boost for Amagansett's Mary's Marvelous
Freddie Stollmack, of Weatherproof Garment Co., is running ads in support of Mary's Marvelous sandwich shop, which will open its second East End location soon. (Aug. 8, 2012) Credit: Gordon M. Grant
A Manhattan-based coat maker known for its bold ad campaigns has taken up the cause of small businesses on the East End.
The Weatherproof Garment Co. recently placed full-page ads supporting an Amagansett sandwich shop, Mary's Marvelous, in several magazines in the Hamptons. Company president Freddie Stollmack has been known for his unconventional use of the Weatherproof brand name, most notably in 2010 when he used a photo of President Barack Obama wearing a Weatherproof coat as an ad in Times Square.
The ads have been running in Avenue magazine for the past few weeks and will appear in magazines and newspapers, including Montauk Life, Hamptons Life, the East Hampton Star, The Independent and the Daily Dan until the end of August, when Mary's Marvelous is set to open its second location, Stollmack said.
The sandwich shop has no direct connection to Weatherproof, but Stollmack, who goes out to the Hamptons often, said it was a store he loved to patronize and he wanted to show his support as it planned to open a new location.
"I've been coming out to the Hamptons since 1946," he said. "It doesn't take an MBA to figure out that the changes are happening."
Stollmack said that over the years he's seen many smaller mom-and-pop stores get pushed out by larger chains as the Hamptons gentrified and became an increasingly popular vacation destination for celebrities.
"I fell in love with Mary's Marvelous, and I saw her trying for three years to get another location. Finally she found something in East Hampton, and that inspired me to create this [ad campaign] to raise the awareness about her store," he said.
Mary Schoenlein, owner of Mary's Marvelous, said she was grateful for the extra attention.
"His generous offer of sponsorship was a surprise; he's been a customer for five years, and I've always had great little conversations with him," Schoenlein said. "We were having a conversation about something else because I was looking to open another store, and he called me up and said, 'Here's what I'd like to do for you.' "
The ads feature a simple, navy blue background and state "Weatherproof supports small businesses: Mary's Marvelous."
Though Stollmack said he has no plans for Weatherproof ads for other businesses out east, he said he does want to support them in any way he can. He also spoke up to help keep outdoor gear store Outdoors of Amagansett open after its lease ended in April. The store carries Weatherproof products.
"It's going to bring some favorable press to Weatherproof, that's the truth," Stollmack said. "But it's even bigger than that and Mary's Marvelous; it's about raising awareness of small businesses in the Hamptons."
