Hook and Bones a Local Brand
John Moore, Founder Hook and Bones
My soul is full of longing
For the secret of the sea,
And the heart of the great ocean
Sends a thrilling pulse through me.”
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Longfellow describes it well in this short poem. Even though his poem is what many of us feel, there is still more to that feeling than words can explain. The coastal lifestyle has a spell binding affect like no other; it allures, heals, and embraces the psyche. If you visit or live here long enough, you will occasionally find yourself keeping time by the tide chart to plan your fishing trip or a visit to your favorite sandbar or gauging the wind direction before you leave the dock. You have evoked the inner pirate that swims through your soul.
Growing up less than an hour from the beach I have always had an attraction to the coast and water vast enough to launch a boat. The feeling has never left and six years ago I found myself living in a small slice of heaven called Swansboro. Living in this coastal area has definitely solidified that spell binding affect the coast has always had on me. Fishing the backwaters along the ICW or spending time with family and friends at the sand bar is truly one of God’s treasures that I enjoy.
One evening, during this past September, I was trying to draw a logo for a friend’s boat who fished in tournaments. I wanted to incorporate an image that was harbored in the minds of many who fish or enjoy the coastal lifestyle. After a few rough drafts, I created what I thought captured the mood of most fishermen. Hence, the skeleton pirate fish with hooks as crossbones was born; aka “Hook and Bones”. After trademarking the Hook and Bones logo and image, I had a local design company digitize the image and print some tee shirts for the fishing team. The well received responses to the image sparked a mini tee shirt campaign which grew faster than expected. Soon, request for visors, hoodies, and other apparel came quickly and I found myself needing a better plan to accommodate orders.
I soon teamed up with Eastern Embroidery near Morehead City and Retrographics in Swansboro, both local companies, to handle the screen-printing and embroidery production. We felt it important to keep the production local so the concept of this image was understood with all involved. Other than apparel, we had the idea to create custom fishing gear; more specific, a tackle bag. High Speed Gear, another local company, has helped us manufacture a unique tackle bag built for serious fishermen or fisherwomen. We actively sought input from several tournament fishermen to obtain ideas on the design to create a durable, yet practical tackle bag.
The initial acceptance of Hook and Bones has been encouraging. We have created a website and an ecommerce store for our products (www.hookandbones.com) and are currently sold in Kim’s, a retail store in Beulaville. Other local retail stores have been very receptive and soon will be carrying the Hook and Bones products.
If you feel drawn by that undeniable lure of this state of mind or even lifestyle, visit our website and find the image and words that describe your inner pirate.
“Hook and Bones is a brand created for the individual who is drawn to the water life; the Hook and Bones life. Hook and Bones was born between the mouth of the White Oak River and the sandy shores of the Southern Outer Banks near the town of Swansboro, NC also known as “The Friendly City by The Sea”.
We, at Hook and Bones, understand the undeniable attraction that oceans, lakes, and rivers have on one’s soul. Whether that attraction is fishing or just the call of the water, we feel our brand, Hook and Bones, captures the essence of the individual who yearns to be free from the daily grind and seeks the freedoms that only God’s bounty can inspire. ”
Hook and Bones is the inner pirate that swims through your soul!
