Bay Life was founded on beautiful Kent Island, Maryland and inspired by the coastal lifestyle we live on the Eastern Shore, or simply just “the shore”.  The Bay Life brand has grown from a single heat press in the living room over looking Cox Creek (Eastern Bay), to a full-scale, family owned and operated Performance Fishing & Coastal Lifestyle Apparel brand whose customer base ranges from the Chesapeake to California, from Maine to Mexico, from Canada to Costa Rica to the entire Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Islands.  The culture surrounding our different Bays are unique to their own, but to the locals, it’s our heritage, family traditions, our livelihood and most importantly, something to represent and be proud of!!

Through my travels, and meeting the people of Bays across this country, I’ve come to realize, the term “Bay Life” invokes different feelings and emotions for everyone.  For some, they grew up locally and the Bay is what they’ve known their entire life.  For others, a transplant to the region but the Bay has completely changed their lives.  Others are simply passing through and had such an unforgettable experience they want a piece to hold onto as a reminder of the experience! 

For me, it’s the food!  I love watching my children grow up immersed in nature and teaching them about the simple pleasures the Bay has to offer.  Our food says so much about our local culture and is instrumental in bringing the people together.  It’s baiting a trotline and catching a bushel of crabs for the family feast (steamed crabs are the way to go, sorry southerners).  It’s finally filleting that striper you chased seagulls around the Bay for and hearing the hot pan sizzle before you serve it to your loved ones.  It’s hearing that oyster shell “pop” right before it get’s tossed back down the hatch or thrown on the grill.  It’s skinning and filleting that whitetail or sika deer you’ve worked tirelessly for, mouth drooling the whole time thinking of the jerky and back strap.  It’s the memories and friendships that will last for a lifetime in the duck blind with your buddies while you wait for dinner to fly in.  For some, its meeting friends at a local dock bar and sharing a crab pretzel while enjoying orange crushes, or the raft ups at a local beach only accessible by boat.  Everyone has their own unique experience with the Bay, and we strive to capture the spirit of coastal towns across region.

We started in 2018 with nothing more than an Amazon heat press, some vinyl, a business plan and a dream, but the pandemic had other plans.  Our business survived the chaos, thanks to the locals who supported us through the confusion.  We braved the supply chain crisis, learned from our mistakes, reinvested into the brand and came out positioned for explosive growth with a full-scale enterprise level distribution partner.  Along the way we’ve been afforded the opportunity, through this platform, to make a positive impact within our community by partnering with carefully selected non-profit organizations, participating in environmental restoration initiatives and giving back to our earth and the locals who inhabit it. 

Check out our Community Giveback page to see how your purchases give back to the locals!

I’ve lived most of my life on Kent Island and this Bay has blessed us with the opportunity to support a growing and God loving happy family, employ hard working locals and allowed us to help those in need.  From the bottom of my heart and the deepest parts of the Bay, thank you to everyone who has supported the Bay Life brand from day one and if you are just now learning about us, welcome to the Bay Life family!!

God bless you and your family!

 

Tyler Hawkins

President & Founding Partner

Bay Life Apparel