Mac grads score with Campus Store
Ben and Jeff Sacerty started their clothing line, BarDown, in their third year at McMaster. A partnership with the Campus Store led to more opportunities to expand the business across Canada.
Convocation is a time for thousands of graduates to say goodbye to McMaster.
Two 2011 grads, though, have built an ongoing partnership with the Campus Store that’s been key to growing their business nationally – and an item from their popular clothing line might be just the thing for this year’s grads to take home as a memento of their time at Mac.
Twin brothers Ben and Jeff Sacerty answer a few questions about their clothing company, Bardown, and share some advice for this year’s graduates.
What degrees do you both have from McMaster?
Honours Bachelor of Arts
How did Bardown get started?
We started Bardown in the summer of 2010 while we were in our third year at McMaster. Our third business partner, Jesse Kirshenbaum, was attending the University of Guelph. The three of us grew up living and breathing hockey and started this business out of our love for the game. We got a small grant from the government and used some money from our parents for initial inventory, trademarking fees and a website.
The term bardown comes from scoring a goal off the crossbar and down, which is essentially the best way to score a goal (like a slam dunk in basketball). We were one of the first “lifestyle” clothing brands to capture the Canadian hockey market.
How does it feel to work with McMaster again?
Being a McMaster grad, there is no better feeling in the world than walking around campus and seeing so many McMaster students wearing Bardown. It’s just an awesome feeling – we almost have to pinch ourselves every time we come back to Mac with how truly lucky we are to work with our alma mater.
We owe a lot of our success to Allison Keravica, the merchandise buyer at the Campus Store. She was the very first university bookstore to give our clothing brand a chance. It was the break we needed to get our brand in front of so many students. The success we experienced helped give us the confidence to approach other schools. It’s crazy to see how far we have come working with so many schools across the country.
How did that McMaster connection help grow the business?
We experienced a ton of initial success working with McMaster that led to us adding Western, Laurier and other big Ontario schools to our team. From there, we started attending university/college bookstore trade shows and word quickly spread.
We currently work with the majority of colleges and universities in Canada and we have recently expanded into the US, working with schools such as North Dakota and Miami, Ohio.
This past year we started a new division of Bardown and began working with minor hockey organizations producing their jerseys. This is our biggest project to date. Our clients include the CHL (go Bulldogs!), the provincial summer and winter games (Alberta, Saskatchewan, PEI, etc.), and the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA).
It’s important to us to give back as well. Last year, we helped raised over $17,000 for the Humboldt Broncos tragedy last year through sales of t-shirts and hats. We also manufacture apparel for a number of charities including Hockey to Help the Homeless and Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer.
Any opportunities for current students or grads to get involved in your business?
We currently offer summer and winter internships to students looking to gain valuable business experience. A few McMaster business classes have done projects on Bardown in the past.
What advice do you have for new grads starting out this year?
Ben’s advice: Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life – but if you are looking to start your own business, be prepared to work your butt off.
Jeff’s advice: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You will make plenty throughout your life, I can guarantee you that. It’s all about how you respond when you get knocked down. Most of all, have fun!
