Phil O’Brien (left) and his brother Patrick show off their apperal company, Anchor East, with their slogan,’No suits, just sand.’ Photo by Julianne Mosher
Updated Oct. 11: This event has been postponed until further notice.
Anchor East — a Port Jefferson Station-based apparel company — has been known as more than just hoodies, tee’s and swimsuits.
Brothers Patrick and Phil O’Brien started the brand earlier this year with two goals in mind: with the revenue received, they wanted to donate money to beach cleanups and different associations dedicated to diabetes.
Throughout the summer, Anchor East hosted several beach cleanups on both the North and South Shores, and now, they are to host their first Walk to Cure Diabetes.
On Saturday, Oct. 16, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., participants can gather at Heritage Park in Mount Sinai for a good cause.
According to Patrick, the duo has organized a big fundraiser to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
“Since we have opened, we donate a portion of our sales, but we wanted to do more,” he said.
Along with the walk, there will be a $5 raffle, with donated goods and services from over 30 other local businesses.
“The support and outpouring of love from our community has been amazing,” he added.
The event is sentimental to Patrick, who is a Type 1 Diabetic, himself.
“People should come down to support local community businesses, take part in an active, healthy day, and be part of a fundraiser to help raise money for the many, many people living with diabetes that affects more people than we all realize,” he said. “Being a diabetic, stuff like this never existed when I was growing up, so it’s part of our mission to raise awareness.”
Those interested can find out more information on the brand’s Facebook and Instagram pages, or online at anchoreastapparelco.com.
Patrick and Phil O’Brien, owners of local brand Anchor East, hosted their second beach cleanup at West Meadow Beach on Sunday.
Photo by Sabrina Artusa
By Sabrina Artusa
Photo by Sabrina Artusa
Phil and Patrick O’Brien, owners of the Port Jefferson Station-based clothing brand Anchor East Apparel, hosted their second beach cleanup at West Meadow Beach on July 18.
The brothers grew up on the water and are heavily involved in the boating community. As a result, they decided to actualize their appreciation for Long Island and the water through their brand.
When they developed the line during the initial COVID-19 lockdown, they knew they wanted to use their brand to promote beach cleanups. Only a couple months after launching their business, they successfully held their second beach cleanup on Sunday.
Phil O’Brien said the idea struck them after his daughter cut her foot on a piece of glass on the beach. They realized that in order to ensure the safety of civilians, the beaches need to be cleaner. Although the beaches might look acceptable, the sand is actually covered in “little things” like discarded ketchup packets and broken beer bottles. “You’d be amazed at how much you find,” he said.
After only four hours, they accumulated a sizable pile of garbage, but not all of it was destined for the trash. The brothers dispatch recyclable material to be remade into bracelets, which they sell for $2 each. They donate 100% of the money made from bracelet sales to the Ocean Conservancy.
Photo by Sabrina Artusa
The O’Briens hope to make the cleanups a regular event, their goal being to hold three every summer. Ultimately, the brothers “plan to keep growing” and host beach cleanups all over Long Island, starting at the East End and making their way west.
Phil O’Brien said he hopes these cleanups will encourage people to more closely observe how they are impacting the beaches.
“We shouldn’t have to have companies promote this,” he said. “People need to be more aware.”
The O’Briens have yet to establish a date for the next cleanup, but are likely going to have another one toward the end of the summer season.
Port Jefferson Station brothers Philip and Patrick O’Brien announced last month their plans to create a charitable clothing company to give back to where they call home.
Anchor East is a nautical-inspired unisex brand, that will give back to two causes: juvenile diabetes research and cleaning up local beaches.
“Between the beach cleanups and the diabetes associations that we want to work with, I think that we have something really special, and it’s something that we’ve talked about that we would love to give to our children one day,” Phil said. “We want them to see how important it is to give back when you’re in a position to do so.”
The duo announced earlier this week on their social media the official launch of anchoreastapparelco.com, which went live on March 17. Proceeds from sales will go to their two charitable endevours.
“Showing people that we care, we want to clean up our beaches, take a step forward to make a difference, and to be able to give back to my disease which hundreds of thousands of people around the world are dealing with,” Patrick said, “We want to show them this is our mission and we’re not doing this for a paycheck. We’re doing it for the benefit of Long Island.”
Phil O’Brien (left) and his brother Patrick show off their apperal company, Anchor East, with their slogan,’No suits, just sand.’ Photo by Julianne Mosher
Two Port Jefferson Station brothers used quarantine to create something special — a new clothing brand they’re calling Anchor East.
Phil and Patrick O’Brien are finalizing the unisex T-shirt, hoodie and hat brand that could create a community of people who love Long Island, by aligning their platform with several causes.
Photo by Julianne Mosher
Born and raised in Port Jeff Station, the family became integrated in the community, also owning O’Brien Insurance Agency on Main Street in the village. Phil, now an insurance agent, works out of the offices that his father started up there nearly 15 years ago.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit in March, he was at home with a lot of free time.
Like many throughout the COVID crisis, he decided to start dabbling in a hobby — graphic design.
He began throwing around ideas with his brother about things he always wanted to accomplish — one of them being to create an apparel brand.
“I wanted to make something that was a very local thing that all the locals know about,” he said.
His brother, Patrick, got let go from his employer at the same time, so that’s when the two decided they could “make something good out of a bad situation.” They called Anchor East their passion project.
“We’ve always wanted to work together and now it was almost like we had a clean slate,” Phil said. “The way that everything came together was just so organic. He’s my best friend and having the opportunity to work together, while also giving back, is important to both of us.”
It isn’t about making money, Phil said. They are choosing to give back to two different groups from the proceeds of their sales.
Photo by Julianne Mosher
Growing up, Patrick was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, so he knew that he’d want to donate to diabetes associations and research.
“My entire life, the things that were important to me were the companies that would donate or do something in return, which back then obviously, wasn’t many,” he said. “So, us being able to create a company to do that for me and my story was crucial.”
But their charity doesn’t stop there. Both brothers grew up on the water, and are raising their kids there, too. They said they want Anchor East to become a movement, where people in the community can come together and clean up local beaches — like Pirate’s Cove, which they frequent with their family.
“We have this local company now that people can see,” Phil said. “We’re here to help and we want to give back. We want to clean up the local beaches because this is our home.”
They said they’d like for their beach cleanups to become an annual and well-known event every summer. They’re also hoping to open up a storefront for the brand Down Port.
“I think that’s really important to us,” Phil said. “Being a part of the community, specifically Port Jeff, where we were born and raised.”
Patrick now lives in Coram. Phil is raising his family in Port Jeff Station, and his wife is a teacher at Port Jefferson high school.
Photo by Julianne Mosher
“Between the beach cleanups and the diabetes associations that we want to work with, I think that we have something really special, and it’s something that we’ve talked about that we would love to give to our children one day,” Phil said. “We want them to see how important it is to give back when you’re in a position to do so.”
Patrick said that since they began the project early in quarantine, they haven’t stopped planning.
“Doing something like this with my brother, someone who I trust and love more than anything in the world, with the mission that we have was an explosion,” he said. “We haven’t stopped since March.”
Their planning for Anchor East was full-speed ahead in July, when the duo spent the summer working on different designs and logos. On Jan. 18, they launched their social media accounts, teasing what merchandise would soon be released.
The brand’s website is now being finalized. Anchor East is expected to have a spring opening.
“Showing people that we care, we want to clean up our beaches, take a step forward to make a difference, and to be able to give back to my disease which hundreds of thousands of people around the world are dealing with,” Patrick said, “We want to show them this is our mission and we’re not doing this for a paycheck. We’re doing it for the benefit of Long Island.”
Anchor East will be launching soon, but for now you can keep an eye out on their brand by following them on Instagram @AnchorEast or on Facebook.
