Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 M A R C H 2 1 , 2 0 2 2 S till anchored at Portland's Custom House Wharf with a small factory store, Sea Bags in 2021 added a new flagship retail store on nearby Commercial St. amid a 60% jump in overall sales in dollar terms over 2020. A skier rather than a sailor himself, Oakes describes his route to Sea Bags as an indirect one, by way of Orono and the University of Maine and then nine years out of state getting work experi- ence and more education (including a Harvard MBA) that eventually led him back to Maine. Before joining Sea Bags, he spent close to 20 years at L.L.Bean in various roles. Mainebiz: What lessons from your early days at L.L.Bean have you applied at Sea Bags? Don Oakes: Most importantly was probably the power of the brand. One of the roles I had at L.L.Bean was overseeing the catalog and website, with responsibility for the brand. Leon Gorman, who led L.L.Bean for decades, was fond of the quote from former Gov. John R. McKernan Jr., "Is L.L.Bean L.L.Bean because of Maine, or is Maine Maine because of L.L.Bean?' e Maine brand means something all over the country, and as we started to expand outside the state, we decided to embrace Maine as much as we could, and even incorpo- rated it into our logo. MB: Early in the pandemic when everything was shut down, what did you do to keep the business running and people employed? DO: As things started to shut down, we very quickly used our skills in sewing and design to start making masks in the ear- liest days of the pandemic. is allowed us to continue to operate as an essential business and keep running the rest of the company. We were able to keep all of our production staff on who wanted to work and do our part to help fill the need for masks in those times. is also allowed us to keep shipping orders to customers who were purchasing online. MB: How did the pandemic affect your expansion plan and strategy? DO: We pushed ahead and doubled down on our growth strategy. I like to say we didn't bet the farm, but we made some big bets. First of all, we kept people working and the busi- ness open in order to build inventory for when stores eventually reopened. Steering the Sea Bags ship CEO Don Oakes leads retail expansion, targets production growth next B Y R E N E E C O R D E S At Machias Savings Bank, the businesses we serve are more than customers. They're the driving force behind what's Moving Maine Forward. Like Luke's Lobster. Machias is honored to have played a part in helping Luke's fi nd the Yes! they needed. Founded in 2009, this thriving restaurant is the result of a great plan, a lot of hard work and remarkable partnerships. Stories like Luke's are why we work hard to help businesses fi nd their "YES!" Visit movingmaineforward.com for more of the MachiYES! story. machiassavings.bank + C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Don Oakes, CEO of Sea Bags, not only kept the retailer on track during the pandemic, but accelerated growth plans. He's pictured at the Commercial Street store, which opened last year. When Milo native Don Oakes took the helm of Sea Bags in November 2013, the Portland-based producer and retailer of totes and accessories made from recycled sails had a crew of 20 employees and 1,000 square feet of factory space. Today, more than 200 people are on the payroll and manufacturing space is up to 20,000 square feet, most of which is in South Portland. On the retail front, the company has 45 stores in 13 states, including nine in Maine.

• Cover