Save the Ta Ta’s a hit at Fish Tale
One Estero Island business is doing its part in raising money for breast cancer awareness and making customers happy at the same time.
Dwight Locke, manager of the Fish Tale Ship’s Store, adjacent to the Santina Marina Plaza located at the south end of Estero Island, stocks a clothing line that helps raise awareness to breast cancer.
Locke says two years ago he attended a trade show in Orlando and met the owners of Save the Ta Ta’s clothing line.
“We found it kind of intriguing because it was a humorous way to look at breast cancer and the pain and agony that breast cancer causes,” Locke said. “It is a company that was developed where five percent of all of the proceeds go to breast cancer awareness. We just thought it was a cool line of clothes and we thought that if we brought them in here we could not only do something good for breast cancer awareness, but also just kind of have a neat line of clothes to offer our customers.”
Locke said once he brought in the clothing line things began to take off.
“It became very, very popular,” he said, adding that Fish Tale Marina Al Durrett decided to donate an additional five percent of sales from the line to breast cancer awareness. “Not only do five percent of the proceeds go from our original purchaser, but he also matches five percent. So for every shirt or hat or Ta Ta’s brand product that we sell, 10 percent of the proceeds go back into breast cancer awareness.”
Locke said since adding Save the Ta Ta’s line it has been a positive experience.
“We’re just in love with this line of clothes – we love having them in our store and displaying them and we get a lot of laughs,” he said. “It is surprising how many women who have gone through breast cancer have been directed to us back here and have been able to kind of support something that’s so dear to them and also at the same time, add a little humor to it.”
Locke said he is surprised at the number of women who have heard about the line of clothing.
“We’ve had women who came in here wearing the Ta Ta’s brand clothing that came from Canada or have bought them in other places and have literally come to the store to see the line of clothes because its so popular,” he said. “I mean, we’re a bait and tackle shop. We sell a line of clothes but it’s usually fishing clothes or sport clothes and this line of clothes has really fit into our ship’s store.”
And Locke says he hears a lot of stories from breast cancer survivors.
“Absoutely,” he said. “We run into a lot of ladies who have recently gone through that process of having breast cancer and being either cured from it or going through that. My wife and I actually buy a lot of gifts to send to people we meet because of this effort.”
Locke said every Tuesday ladies who work in the ship store wear Save the Ta Ta’s shirts.
Currently the Save the Ta Ta’s line of clothing is available at the Fish Tale Marina Ship’s Store or customers can log on at www.thefishtalemarina.com. For more information on Save the Ta Ta’s call 239-463-3600 EX. 1.