Ocean City Entrepreneur Opens Boardwalk Clothing Shop

By MADDY VITALE Jake Brown has had a busy couple of years. The 25-year-old Ocean City entrepreneur continues to grow his budding clothing line, WoodLuck, and is featuring new items for the summer. And with the recent opening of a shop at Stainton’s By the Sea on the Ocean City Boardwalk, shoppers are able to see in person the quality clothing designed by Brown for comfort and style. “We are really happy with our involvement with Stainton’s on the Boardwalk,” Brown said in an interview of the new shopping mall at 12th and Boardwalk. “The new Boardwalk store is beautiful. We started there in the beginning of this month, and we are already getting an awesome response.” All of WoodLuck items can always be ordered by visiting https://woodluckapparel.com/

Short sleeve shirts in colors that “pop” are the new items in the inventory. “All the shirts are live online,” Brown said. “We have a blend of shirt that is really soft and breathable and really good for summer.” As for the colors, “I wanted to add a little color that you might not already have in your summer wardrobe,” he noted. “I like the sage color. It is always a solid favorite. It was something I really wanted to have myself.” Other shirts are coral, light blue, black and white. “The colors pop and the light blue is always a summer go-to,” Brown added.

The favorites that WoodLuck is known for are also available. The stylish, yet comfortable sweatshirts and hoodies in colors from coffee to bone color are popular among customers. There are also the long-sleeved shirts. Like the other garments, they 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. The company name arose out of Brown’s superstition to “knock on wood” for good luck. Hats, shorts and other merchandise are also available for purchase online and in Stainton’s WoodLuck store. In addition to the new shirts for summer and a spot at the mall, Brown took some time to incorporate the look of a surfboard he designed into a very special shirt that customers can buy.

The shirt comes in black and white with a purple and teal surfboard logo. “I was designing a new custom board,” Brown said, adding that local surfboard shaper Tony Palaia helped him with his vision. “I knew it was time for a new twin fin and while working on a new shirt logo, it only made sense that I merge the two projects. I had some ideas on how I wanted the new board to perform, and Tony helped me bring that to life.” Brown said he is looking forward to a busy summer both in online sales and at Stainton’s on the Boardwalk. “I think the location really fits us well, and our demographic,” he said.

Brown grew up in Ambler, Pa., with his parents, Marnie and Jim Brown, and brother, Ryan, 20, but always spent summers in Ocean City. Brown 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. Since the WoodLuck website debuted in 2018, the customer base continues to expand. Brown said there are more good things on the horizon, but he is not ready to divulge just yet what they might be. Over the last year, Brown partnered with businessman, Bill Greene, on the WoodLuck venture. “Eventually we will need a big storage space,” Brown said. “Bill is someone who has had really successful businesses in the past and is looking to see us thrive.”