THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, June 15, 2011— Page 7
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WHAT’S IN A NAME? –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Sandbaggers LOCATION: 13 Washington Ave., Scarborough CONTACT: 1-800-659-9607 www.hersandbaggers.com
BY NATALIE LADD SPECIAL TO THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN
“A Sandbagger is any golfer who misleads others about his or her ability level, claiming to be worse than he or she actually is at golf. It’s a catchy, tongue-in-cheek term and has been the name of our Maine owned and operated women’s golf shoe company for 24 years,” says Mechanic Falls native Anna Gilbert, who is the VP of sales and marketing and has been the designer for seven years. Founded in Lewiston in 1987, the company established a goal to provide comfortable, stylish and fun golf shoes and golf sandals for women golfers of all ages. Employing five people at an office and warehouse located in Scarborough, the small team processes orders from county club Pro-shops, major sporting goods retailers, on-line shopping venues and individual endwearers. With the help of 19 independently contracted sales representatives, the
The staff of Sandbaggers golfers apparel includes (from left) Anna Gilbert, designer and VP of sales and marketing; Sean Hamlin, warehouse manager; and Gina Gurney, customer service representative. Not pictured are owner Allan Dunkerly and customer service representative Joyce Picard. (NATALIE LADD PHOTO)
company does business in every state in the union (including Hawaii and Alaska) and ships the high-end shoes around the world. Orders go out on a regular basis to Canada, as well as
more exotic locations including Singapore, New Zealand and South Africa. Anna’s fingers are crossed as she is currently negotiating a distributorship deal to send a sizable order down
under to Australia. Portland resident and owner Allan Dunkerly, who has owned the company since 1996, and Anna work closely with the factory in Leon, Mexico, where the shoes are manufactured using the highest quality leathers and accent materials, solid steel shanks and basic builtin orthotics. Breaking the dowdy image mold, Sandbaggers golf shoes are serious fashion statements as well as contenders in the golf shoe apparel world. In an industry heavily influenced by major sneaker and athletic brands, the company differentiates with metallic leathers, viper prints and unconventional slip-on styles. From fair weather sandals with grip soles to replaceable Champ spike soles, the shoes have broad-based appeal for all ages and player levels In the highly competitive world of woman’s golf shoes, the Sandbaggers moniker is a custom fit for this small, yet successful local company with worthy opponents a hundred times their size. On and off the golf course, what you get is more than what you see with Sandbaggers as the team prides itself on doing business the Maine way, globally.
Gay and LGBT nights are popping up at places like Bubba’s, The Armory LADD from page 4
The second is the Internet explosion. While gays and straights alike have long used the bar scene for meeting and dating, many are staying home and chatting up prospects beyond city limits. Match.com boasts 650,000 gay men looking for LTR (long term relationships) and guarantees you’ll meet your match in six months. Other sites such as Gay.com and ManHunt.net offer the option of a less-serious hookup, accompanied by hard to compete with X-rated profile pictures. Lastly is the Catch-22 of the gay population being accepted into the mainstream. Official and unofficial gay and LGBT nights are popping up at places like Bubba’s and The Armory, cutting into the pie and threatening to make Blackstones a thing of the past, like Sisters, The Underground and Somewhere here in Portland; and JP’s in Augusta and The Sportsman in Lewiston. Unwilling to let this happen, Ralph and Butch (who is a nursing educator at the university level teaching at Maine Medical Center and SMCC) made the prudent but painful decision of downsizing the bar staff, with Ralph going back to work doing everything from maintenance to book keeping to late-night closings. With obvious emotion, Ralph recalled the staff meeting held in October of last year. “The decline from ‘08 to ‘09 was 3 percent and from ‘09 to ‘10 it was 14 percent. We had to do something, so we demoted the manager and let everyone who didn’t have another source of income go. Every-
one was honestly supportive of the decision, saying they’d rather lose shifts than lose the bar. It was one of the worse things I’ve ever had to do and they all know their jobs will be waiting when and if things bounce back. The upside is I’m so much more grounded by being back in touch with the business on a day-to-day basis.” Downsizing aside, Blackstones continues the tradition of holding fundraisers and generously giving to causes benefiting the Greater Portland area as a whole. Ralph is especially proud of The Ms. Blackstone Contest, where the winning drag queen not only rides on the bar’s float during the Gay Pride parade, but makes appearances at the annual Toys for Tots drive, is present for the free Thanksgiving dinner where all are welcome and spearheads her own cause at a special event held at the bar. Letting the worry drop from his face, Ralph says, “Gay or straight ... it doesn’t matter ... giving back is the best part of the job.” As for paid advertising, Blackstones has occasionally been in gay-oriented publications in Boston and New York, working to establish and maintain a gay presence north of Ogunquit. The bar has a steady stream of straight clientele that mixes easily and naturally with the rest of the crowd, but Ralph is lamenting the pros and cons of revising the image from a “gay neighborhood bar” to a “neighborhood bar run by gay guys.” He says, “It’s great we can go anywhere, but romance is often missing in the mainstream. ... I really want to maintain a gay bar, but I also
want to survive so if I do advertise, it’ll be in more mainstream outlets.” My Take: Check out www.blackstones.com for the near-future return of Guest Bartender night, where it will be my pleasure to tend bar and donate all tips to PRYSM: Proud Rainbow Youth of Southern Maine, which provides a safe and supportive space for LGBT, questioning and allied young people. Continuing a tradition, Blackstones will open at 9 a.m. this Saturday, June 18 to host their annual Bloody Mary
and mimosa offering, with free breakfast, prior to the kick-off of the Southern Maine Pride parade. Located on Pine Street, within walking distance of Longfellow Square, there is a dirtcheap beer selection, a sought-after pool table and an openly friendly smile for all. (Natalie Ladd and her “What’s It Like” column take a weekly look at the culinary business in and around Portland.)
From left to right: Butch Cusack-Fenton, Ms. Blackstones 2011 — Aboyda Straggs (aka Jason Lincoln of Kennebunkport) and owner Ralph Cusack-Fenton. (Photo courtesy of Blackstones)