Retail, the Holidays, and the Best Company in the World

A personal letter from the Editor

For many people, the idea of working during the holidays is unthinkable. The holidays should be spent with family, not “slaving” away at your workplace. But for those of us who work at Nine Line Apparel, our coworkers are our family, and we’re proud to be here together.

This year marks my third holiday season with Nine Line, and I have seen the company grow immensely since I stepped foot into that customer service office in 2014. There were only about 30 people working for the company at that time, and only two of us in customer service. We would come into the office early every morning, with hundreds of emails a day and dozens of voicemails to go through. Whenever the stress seemed too great, the workload too high, at least we had each other, and a cause that we were proud to stand behind. And we pressed on, and got the job done.

This unrelenting drive wasn’t exclusive to customer service. The mentality of “all-or-none”, “get the job done”, “do whatever it takes to get Christmas presents out the door”, infiltrated every single employee in production, shipping, sales, marketing, etc. Many of us bounced from one department to another, helping wherever we were needed, coming in early, and staying late, not because we were forced to do so, but because we cared. We cared about this incredible young company with an amazing story and an inspirational cause, whose owners were so incredibly passionate that we couldn’t help but want to give them our all, because we believed so strongly in what they were trying to accomplish. Through blood, sweat, and tears, we made it through that 2014 season, and welcomed a new year of continued opportunity and growth.

The sense of purpose that we all felt that first big holiday season continues to perpetuate every single individual that walks in these doors. For a majority of us, this isn’t just a job. It’s a career, a lifestyle, a dream come true. It’s a deep sense of purpose that many of us never thought we would find in an occupation. It is a source of pride: pride in ourselves, and pride in being a part of something so awe-inspiring that coming into work every day is a privilege and an honor. And that’s because we truly do work for the best company in the world.

From our work with other veteran organizations, to our collaborations with innovative companies in our field and beyond, to our non-profit initiatives to help wounded veterans, end veteran suicide, and support our law enforcement and firefighters, from top to bottom, Nine Line is a brand worth standing behind. Daniel and Tyler are the best bosses I have ever had, and I know for a fact that everyone here would say the same. They are passionate about their company, about helping veterans, about raising awareness for worthy causes, and about the happiness and well-being of their staff. For me, personally, I would not be where I am today without their continued support, and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Nine Line is a wonderful, amazing family, with all the love, support, and eccentricity that every family has, but it’s ours. And as we draw another crazy, stressful, unifying, magical, glorious holiday season to a close, we continue to reflect on the many blessings that we have to be thankful for, namely, an amazing job, with incredible bosses, at the best company in the world.