Saturday, December 14, 2024

Two New Coronado Lifestyle Brands: The Coronado Club and Live Nado

"The Coronado Club" and "Live Nado" are new brands offering Coronado-centric apparel and accessories for those that love the island.

Margeaux Egelston created a new Coronado apparel collection. Photo courtesy of The Coronado Club

The Coronado Club

Coronado has long held a special place in Margeaux Egelston’s heart that developed through the years as she visited friends during family vacations. An opportunity to move to Coronado full time was the perfect reset after working in the fast-paced corporate world. Once here, The Coronado Club was born.

With a background in and love of fashion, and a creative bent, she was drawn to create chic, updated Coronado-branded clothing, beyond the basic t-shirts and sweatshirts sold in the souvenir shops. She named the line The Coronado Club because she feels it denotes the amazing community that is enjoyed by both locals and visitors, who love it as much as she does.

Having never created apparel, she started from scratch with designing, finding suppliers, shipping, etc., and once she began wearing her first prototype hat around town, people took notice and asked about it. She posted a mood board on Instagram, teasing the hat, and she started getting followers and more inquiries. Word of mouth helped spur sales as she was building her website, figuring out the perfect eco-friendly packaging and other logistics.

The Coronado Club offered a Fourth of July collection. Photo courtesy of The Coronado Club

The Coronado Club collection debuted in November. With the hats quickly selling out, she raced to restock. Current offerings include hats, a stylish, comfy sweatshirt, and sweatpants and socks. Her original vibe was sandy colors with rich creams and browns, but a Fourth of July collection was comprised of red, white, and blue hats.

“I love coming up with new ideas and I’ve learned to be strategic and plan in advance,” she shares. Future products will include an oversized vintage style sweatshirt, with a fall collection debuting in September featuring cozy fabrics. She’s also thinking of tote bags, towels and candles, as people ask about kid’s items and the suggestions keep coming.

“It validates my ideas when I see the support and growth of my company. It’s the best feeling to know that other people like what I’m creating. I have always loved to make occasions special, so I’d like to create things for big moments like 4th of July, Christmas, etc.”

Her goal is to build a community that appreciates the relaxed vibe here in Coronado, whether it be locals who live here full-time, part-timers, or visitors. She listens to her followers’ feedback and plans to solicit input about new products for the holidays, giftable products, and more. She has made friends with many of her customers and would eventually like to schedule meetups for like-minded people, who have either grown up here, moved here recently, or are in the military. She offers an open invitation to everyone to be part of The Coronado Club, where everyone feels welcome and comes together with a love of this one-of-a-kind place.

The Coronado Club collection can be found on Instagram, Facebook, and at thecoronadoclub.com. Pick up, delivery, and shipping are available.

Live Nado Invites You to Live A Good Story

Kate and J.T. Kerns started Live Nado featuring chic Coronado apparel. Photo courtesy of Live Nado

Live Nado, the new brand that invites you to “Live a Good Story,” was created by Kate and J.T. Kerns. Shortly after they moved to Coronado, they had the idea for Live Nado, a line of resort wear featuring hats and clothing that reflect the patriotism and community in the town.

Kate is originally from the East Coast and moved to San Diego in her 20s. Her husband J.T. is originally from the Bay Area and they met in San Diego. They remember coming to The Del and other spots in Coronado which evoked the magic of island life for them.

After moving to Tahoe and then Chico to start a business, they always had Coronado in their sights for retirement, but were delighted when they were able to make it happen sooner, moving with their two children in 2021. Both are involved in other businesses, and they launched Live Nado in April 2023.

Photo courtesy of Live Nado

“Living here is better than we imagined, so out of sheer gratitude and joy, we wanted to create a brand that reflects the diverse community here, made up of military, people who have grown up here, tourists who visit regularly, and those who recently moved here,” Kate shares.

The first product was an “Enjoy the View” hat which has become a bestseller and promotes beach vibes. They found a sweet spot in the community when they started doing pop-ups at local sporting events, like Little League and high school sports games, with people relating to the Live Nado brand.

They jumped in to be part of the greater good in helping the community, and have given back a percentage of profits to various CSF events, Safe Harbor, and others. “We are invested in building relationships in the community,” explains Kate.

One of the Live Nado t-shirts. Photo courtesy of Live Nado

“With a background in sales and science, I’m new to the creative space, but I enjoy seeing my designs come to life. I’m stoked when I see people wearing our creations,” Kate comments.

They believe that many people feel the same as they did, and that once they visit Coronado, they never want to leave or likely make plans to return. Kate says they advocate for reveling in the small things and enjoying everything the community has to offer.

The Del is named as their favorite place in Coronado, because it was a magical place to them before they moved here, and now J.T. walks their dog Rosie past there on a daily basis. Their kids’ favorite places are hands down Spreckels Park and Nado Gelato. They enjoy being able to bike and walk their children to school, appreciate concerts in the park and the myriad of other community events.

Live Nado offers a variety of locally-themed collections including Central Beach, Shoreline – featuring sweatshirts and pants, and Spreckels – featuring kids’ hats. The Glorietta collection features a black hat with a patriotic themed crown. The Margarita and Balboa collections boast a black hat with a “Welcome to the Rock” patch with the Coronado Bridge proudly displayed.

Live Nado sold out of their bike-themed 4th of July shirts. Photo courtesy of Live Nado

Future plans are to grow the product line and team, as they promote brand awareness.  Find Live Nado Coronado Apparel & Goods on Facebook and Instagram, and the full product line at www.livenado.com. Some of the merchandise can be found locally at Sea La Vie, 1112 First Street. Live Nado offers shipping and free local delivery.

 



Jennifer Velez
Jennifer Velez
Jennifer fell in love with Coronado as a teenager while visiting a college friend. She vowed that someday she would make it her home, and that dream has recently become a reality. Fast forward through completing college with a BA in Journalism, Public Relations and Communications, she then went on to work with a variety of clients. She also taught Journalism and coordinated fundraising for her children’s school, and was a staff writer for San Diego Family Magazine and contributed to other parenting publications. Have news to share? Send tips, story ideas or letters to the editor to: [email protected]

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