Ron Brand

Alumni Across the Pond

I still think back to my days at DHS with such fondness. The life-long friendships that I made, and the fact that you are never truly aware you are learning until you need those lessons later in life. Who would have thought that learning Spanish in Scotland in the mideighties would be something that I would incorporate into my everyday life on the other side of the world?

I left DHS in 1987 and by 1991, I had ventured my way to the West Coast of America, settling in Santa Barbara CA, where I have lived ever since. I flitted from job to job when I first got here, until I fell into a position leasing out beach homes in Montecito, CA. After a few chance connections, I ended up becoming a Realtor, which would become my lifelong passion. Not only for property, but for the people I have met along the way. I never really knew what I wanted to do when I left school, and luckily for me my job found me.

Since getting into Real Estate, my right brain always pined for something a little more creative. About seven years ago, I opened Mate Gallery in Montecito with my partner Matt Albiani, who is a New York-based photographer. Mate Gallery was conceived in Long Island, NY, and is a shared love for coastal living and all things beach related. Matt and I recognized the gap in the market for a shop selling cool nautical vintage wares, so we jumped on the idea. We like to think of it as a nod to Scotland, Massachusetts and California all in one small nostalgic spot.

Our love of all things nautical led us to two little fisherman's cottages that were quietly for sale at the end of Long Island, in Montauk, New York. Being a realtor and specializing in high-end rentals and sales, combined with Matt's keen eye for design, we bought them and aptly named them Sea Roost, which really became like Mate Gallery in real-life. The house has been a fun laboratory to work items from the shop into a home. We wish we could spend more time at the cottages, but they are leased out almost year-round as vacation rentals. Between Sea Roost and Mate Gallery, we have amassed quite a social media following (even Gwyneth likes us), not to mention some great press from the likes of the Wall Street Journal and Country Living Magazine.

Having the ability to spend time on both coasts of the US each month is a blessing that came quite unexpectedly but is something that I wouldn’t ever want to change. Getting to this point in my life has really been about talking with people, making connections, and always putting your best foot forward – something that I learned at DHS, and something that I'll always be grateful for.

Ron Brand, Class of 1989