When Henry Leace opened the first Havana Shirt Store in 2001 in Bayside Marketplace, the Panama hats, cigar boxes and Cuban art were all meant as decorations. Quickly, customers started trying to buy them. That helped Leace realize he had an opportunity to sell more than just guayaberas and tropical sportswear. His focus then turned to creating a chain of stores and a private-label brand. Smartly, he employed the help of an advertising agency.At S/A, my team (including Chris Pastir, Manny Prieres and Amanda Burrows) started by renaming the brand to 'Havana Nines' instead of 'The Havana Shirt Company.' We then decided on a modern interpretation of a retro Cuban theme for the brand look. This included a stylized pattern of the word 'Havana' that could give the brand a certain caché like Burberry and Louis Vuitton. This pattern was incorporated into the collateral materials, advertising and even into the garments themselves.
Today, Havana Nines has a dozen stores throughout Florida and with new financing is currently undergoing national expansion. The goal is to have 55 stores by 2013.
