By MADDY VITALE
At just 24, Ocean City resident Jake Brown is a budding entrepreneur.
His clothing line, WoodLuck, offers an array of items for the outdoorsy type. And the clothes are selling fast. The young talent is not only keeping up with the growing business, but expanding his company, while still offering specials to his repeat and new customers.
From now through Saturday, Dec. 4, Brown is offering 20 percent off of WoodLuck inventory, plus free shipping. The coupon code is Beer20. To order, visit WoodLuck at https://woodluckapparel.com/
The clothing is about quality, style and uniqueness, Brown said. Each “WoodHood” hoodie has a thin piece of wood sewn into the garment with the WoodLuck logo. The company name arose out of Brown’s superstition to “knock on wood” for good luck.
Since the website launched in 2018, WoodLuck’s customer base continues to expand.
And Brown is pretty certain why that might be.
“It’s about quality,” he said during an interview Saturday at his new office in downtown Ocean City. “A lot of our older shirts just didn’t have the quality that they do now. I researched different companies and clothing until I found the brand that had the best quality.”
Brown, who works full time in insurance risk management, is an avid surfer and an animal lover who is devoted to his family and girlfriend, Alex Valentini, of Manasquan.
His passion fuels the success he has achieved with WoodLuck.
Brown maintains it is because of his business philosophy — quality over quantity — that he makes sure to provide a piece of clothing that will be comfortable, casual, yet stylish and memorable.
“I want my customers to come back,” he said. “If people like the design or the color, but the quality just isn’t there, they won’t come back.”
Sweatshirts from coffee to bone color that are thick and soft define the hoodies. The long-sleeved shirts, like the other garments, have the WoodLuck logo with a simple, clean sweep of color under the logo. The backs of the shirts have designs from surfboards to sundials. The hoodies have the thin, wooden labels.
While his garments are competitively priced, Brown also knows the importance of rewarding returning customers and bringing in new WoodLuck fans, he said.
That is why Brown offers regular discounts and specials on the website.
He attributes the good business sense to his parents, Marnie and Jim Brown, who have helped him with his dream, which was once a hobby but is quickly developing into a career.
WoodLuck started off in his parents’ home, after all.
Now that he has opened an office in Ocean City which he uses for his inventory and WoodLuck office, he can see even more expansion in the future.
He grew up in Ambler, Pa., with his parents, and brother, Ryan, 20, but always spent summers in Ocean City.
“I have been vacationing here since I was a baby,” Brown noted. “I thought Ocean City would be an ideal place to set up shop for WoodLuck.”
He is a 2019 graduate of Bloomsburg University, where he studied business management. It was while he was in college that WoodLuck came about and the website was launched.
WoodLuck is, at least for now, strictly online ordering. While Brown said he is open to the possibility of having a retail shop for people to come to in the future, for now the WoodLuck website offers customers the benefit of ordering exactly what they want and having it shipped to their door.
Brown has ideas for some new items and definitely further expanding.
“This month itself is the best month we have had so far,” he said. “I am just filling order after order. It’s really getting busy now, which is great. My goal is to have more space for more inventory, and possibly introduce some new pieces in the line.”
Brown has some ideas, but isn’t sharing the specifics just yet.
“We will get some new hats and shorts come spring,” he said. “We might see some new categories over the summer. We will definitely have some new things for our customers.”
