Founded three years ago by siblings Ted and Madeleine Mariner, York River Traders is a small business creating and selling nautical theme accessories such as belts, cuff links and dog collars.
Inspired by their family's summers spent on York River in Maine, along with their educational backgrounds, Ted, a graduate of Northeastern University's D'Amore-McKim School of Business' MBA program, and Madeleine, a design graduate, the company was first formed.
As described in a recent Boston Globe article by Ted Mariner, the products are “about 80 percent nautical, and 20 percent fishing and shooting sports, and all a reflection of what we like to do.”
Created with function and form in mind, products can be personalized as well.
With any small business, challenges can and will arise, but they may not be as clear-cut as some would think.
“You'd think it would be selling, but it's getting things made, finding good manufacturing partners able to make products correctly and on time. People might think they have a good idea and it will sell, but a lot needs to happen between the idea and a final product that sells at a margin to make it viable and sustains the entire business,” said Ted Mariner.