Written while employed with Trampoline Advertising & Design
Union Hall Supply Company:
As the brand seeks to open a new location, it sought a revision to its overall brand language, mission statement, ethos, and more. The language needed to be more cohesive, streamlined, and brand-centric, which was my focus with the updated content.
Feedback from the client was:
OH EM GEE-This is incredible. You have really painted a picture of who we are with words. I’m speechless. and grateful . . .
Mission Statement
It’s less about the clothes than it is about the way they make you feel—Union Hall Supply was created to offer a unique, refined shopping experience for men seeking well-made goods, carefully hand-picked with a modern aesthetic deeply rooted in history.
We’re getting people in the right clothes to be comfortable enough to live their best life.
Overview of Company
A candle flickers, emitting the scents of bourbon and vanilla into the air. Exposed brick, worn-in leather, and warm wooden floors bring character and life to the historic space. In the back of the shop, a tap pours the latest local draught beneath a glowing neon sign, and the sounds of blues and rock classics emanate from the speakers. The vibe is welcoming, comfortable, and stylish, much like the clothes and accessories adorning the racks.
At Union Hall Supply Co., in the heart of downtown Saratoga Springs, the brick-and-mortar shopping experience is alive, with a commitment to providing an effortless customer experience, offering a curated mix of perfectly broken-in personality and well-crafted details with a nod to small business, sustainability, and the meaning of keeping it local.
It’s less about the clothes than it is about the way they make you feel—it’s our goal to bring you clothes that can keep up. Union Hall Supply was created to offer a haven for a refined shopping experience for well-made goods, carefully hand-picked with a modern aesthetic deeply rooted in history.
It’s for the guy who wants to look and feel good, effortlessly. The guy who wants to be comfortable and confident enough to live his best life. The guy who cares about quality, seeks clothes that can withstand the test of time, and that reflect a sense of a life well lived in.
Sales Philosophy:
Our entire team is thrilled that you took the time to walk through our door. We are brick-and-mortar based and believe that connection to our clients and the long-term relationships/the trust built is meaningful to us. We have highly trained style guides that work one on one with clients with the sole goal of making the shopping experience a positive one.
The UHSC brand was born out of the lack of options for men in the retail apparel sector, specifically in our area. Our goal was to give men a place to call their own and have access to small-batch, authentic brands. Exciting brands like Faherty and Brax are changing the industry in significant ways, with their commitment to the environment and a reimagination of the supply chain, yet they have few channels of distribution in the brick-and-mortar sector. Emerging brands like these, and like us, have a distinct voice and understand the client—we give those brands a voice in our community.
Our History
Union Hall Supply Company came to fruition to fill a particular niche in Saratoga Springs—a shopping haven for the stylish, modern man. Not a place to buy a suit and not the place to guy a golf shirt, but a shopping experience catered to men that want to look and feel good on a day-to-day basis. Many of these men would pass through the racks of our sister stores Lifestyles of Saratoga or Caroline and Main and would wonder why there wasn’t a store dedicated to them. They were hoping for casual, well-made clothing and accessories, all in one place.
UHSC opened its doors in 2019 and has since become a beloved destination for those who value the story behind their style—taking great pride in its distinctive offerings, welcoming atmosphere, and continued commitment to social and environmental responsibility.
We pay particular attention to details, crafting a space that pulls you in and invites you to stay awhile. Enjoy a sample of a locally crafted beer, listen to a bluesy mix of tunes wafting through the air, inhale the scent of leather and soap, take in tidbits of the history of Saratoga Springs that have inspired the store—no detail goes unnoticed.
You’ll find that nod to history combined with a modern aesthetic is the very ethos of the Union Hall brand. Inside, a curated collection of local and handmade goods awaits. We forage for vintage fixtures with the patina that a fully lived life brings with it. It’s about the details, whether it’s the Hudson Bay Covered benches or the reclaimed changing room doors, our space is crafted to make our guests feel at home.
With a focus on sustainability and ethical production practices, Union Hall Supply Company strives to promote conscious consumerism all while supporting the local community.
Family of Brands Messaging
The family of brands, including Lifestyles, Caroline + Main, and Union Hall Supply Co. (Downtown Saratoga and Stuy Plaza, Albany), is centered around the business ethos of offering a superb, local brick-and-mortar shopping experience, creating spaces that are curated, stylish, and welcoming with a team dedicated to building trust with the customer to provide positive experiences, every time.
Special attention is given to the quality of the clothes, their brand story, and their sustainability with a nod to small business, community, and start-up brands. Our philosophy is rooted in a strong foundation and a sustainable mindset. We believe that connection is key, confidence is contagious, and we hope to inspire you to spread joy wherever you go.
Lifestyles of Saratoga, the first in the family, offers a unique and stylish assortment of women’s clothing, accessories, and footwear, becoming a go-to destination for discerning shoppers seeking both quality and style.
Caroline and Main is inspired by seaside stripes & salty air, a pop of pink from the gardens of the Tuileries, and the bright whites and endless blues of Mykonos—you’ll discover a shop full of surprise with gifts of wit & whimsy.
Union Hall Supply Co., the newest in the family, was created to offer a unique, refined shopping experience for men seeking well-made goods, carefully hand-picked with a modern aesthetic deeply rooted in history. It’s for the guy who wants to look and feel good, effortlessly.
Each is inspired and connected by the common thread of attention to detail—in the clothes, the experience, the commitments.
The current brick-and-mortar locations all exist within a small radius of each other in the heart of Saratoga Springs.
The upcoming second location of Union Hall Supply Co. in Stuyvesant Plaza in Albany will provide this curated experience to a new audience at a premier Capital Region shopping destination.
Pachira Wealth Management
As the client worked to rebrand their financial planning firm, we worked together to rewrite website copy—wordsmithing and editing to reflect the sleek, yet approachable business.
Client feedback was:
Your presentation today was amazing! Clearly, you put so much thought into it. I can’t thank you enough for your team’s hard work!!
Paradox Brewery:
As the brewery geared up to celebrate its 10th anniversary, the team wanted a new look to welcome the next chapter. The goal was to part with the ADK aesthetic and introduce a more universal look for national distribution and beyond. After investing in a new brewery and tasting room, it was time to try a fresh approach to marketing: a strategy to create demand and present the product with an updated shelf presence, brand language, and design overhaul.
- Campaign Voice
ROUGHLY REFINED
Paradox Brewery, an independent, veteran-owned craft brewery, specializes in brewing innovative beer out of its state-of-the-art facility in the mountains of the Adirondacks. Utilizing the naturally filtered water flowing through the granite below the brewery, the beers are clean, crisp, smooth, and, no matter your preferred style, highly drinkable and balanced.
The team of brewers puts a modern twist on their beers (and seltzers), infusing passion and quality into each product with eye-catching branding and playful specialty releases. At Paradox Brewery, the beers are roughly refined, brewed for the most distinguished of palates—the mountain bikers, skiers, hikers, the weekend warriors, the adventurers, the young parents. From city to mountain, Paradox is brewing high-quality beer that can keep up.
- Target Audience
People aged 21-45 with a special emphasis on women ages 21-35 who are outdoorsy, active, trendy, eco-conscious, locally-minded, progressive. This demographic cares about aesthetics, and enjoys high-quality food and drink with a strong lean toward craft and local. They are dinks and young parents looking for Instagrammable products and activities.
This demo allows us to capture the consumers who are going out and drinking on-premise, the young professionals who have money but are strapped for time, and maybe starting to buy beer at the grocery store or independent beer retailer. It also allows us an opportunity to capture the young families that may be looking for a place they can have fun but also take the kids (ie. our tasting room with its big lawn and kid-friendly activities). While the target audience is younger, we’re not alienating the older demographics (55+), who may frequent the taproom with their kids, grandkids, or as individuals.
The Roughly Refined mantra reaches this demographic while also encapsulating hip travelers, rugged adventurers, and a modern, older population.
- Key Phrases/Words
Roughly Refined.
Out-of-the-Way. State-of-the-Art.
Classic style with a modern twist.
Innovative beer for the roughly refined.
Cheers to you, whoever YOU are.
From city to mountain, we’re brewing high-quality beer that can keep up.
Innovation
Modern
Quality
Fresh
Passion
Classic
Juicy
Dank
Crisp
Clean
Smooth
Independent
Craft
Uncomplicated
- Words to Steer Away From
Adirondacks
Pure
Hip
- Hashtags
#paradoxbrewery
#paradox
#beer
#beerstagram
#draft
#craftbeer
#taproom
#brewery
#roughlyrefined
#drinklocal
#thinknydrinkny
- Taproom Music & Vibe
Music selections in the taproom should reflect the vibe of the brewery which is an alternative, folk rock scene (read: EQX radio).
Choices should be:
Mumford & Sons
Arcade Fire
Vance Joy
Lumineers
Avett Brothers
Band of Horses
Choices Should Not Be:
80’s Rock
Yacht Rock
Classic Rock
Jimmy Buffet
Country
Rap
- Reference the campaign voice when developing social media
copy to capture the appropriate tone of each campaign. - Key phrases can be used as the foundation of copy development to ensure the campaign voice is present in posts.
- Use the above core hashtags and add additional hashtags specific to the post, for example, #pinksheetpils #anniversary #specialrelease
- Music choices are important for establishing the brand and sense of place in the taproom.
Mt. Rose
The Mt. Rose brand strategy aims to provide an amazing and authentic experience to families. The roadmap for responsible growth and decision-making requires balancing our loyal local customer base with destination skiers, the environment with sustainability, investment with finances, and workplace stability with positive outcomes.
Values
At Mt. Rose, we set ourselves apart from our competitors by embracing and improving upon what we do best: providing consistent and diverse terrain, affordable local access, and a friendly, genuine team that gets the job done with a smile—all at a base elevation above the rest. The mountain stokes nostalgia, encouraging our visitors—day pass, season pass, vacationers—to make authentic memories, embrace the carefree, friendly vibe, and enjoy skiing in its true form. Here at Mt. Rose, we’re not trying to be something we’re not, a beloved trait that is becoming rare amongst high-profile ski resorts.
Our values run deep, as does our commitment to them. We strive to be a place and a community where everyone can play in harmony with the mountains—to discover their own lines, rip some pow, and relish the day with friends and family. From Timbers to The Chutes and everywhere in between, we’re a small, independent mountain with big terrain and even bigger hometown charm.
Brand Pillars
At the core of Mt. Rose is a brand centered around community, authenticity, and genuine commitment to quality, throughout customer service, diversity of terrain, and overall experience. The following brand pillars are what uphold the brand, what makes the resort stand out among competitors, and what ring true for loyal customers as well as new visitors—they are ideas that resonate and concepts that are consistent.
Local & Community
Convenience, close to home, uncrowded, high-quality customer service, unpretentious, historical, respectful, safe, neighborly, supportive
Independent & Authentic
Friendly, genuine, laid back, non judgmental, affordable, unique, unfussy, free-spirited, driven, quality, passionate
Fun & Spirited
Fun, carefree, nostalgic, memorable, friendly, exhilarating, adrenaline, no fuss, family-friendly, challenging terrain
Mission Statement:
At Mt. Rose, we are driven by our core values to create an authentic, fun, and locally-minded resort, where our dedication to our guests and employees rises above all else. We are fiercely independent in both spirit and ownership and we strive to make decisions that are true to our community. Here, we rise to elevation, we ski the difference, we are where the snow is.
Elevator Pitch: In the Mind of an Employee
To be an employee at Mt. Rose is to be part of the Mt. Rose family. The family includes us all: skiers, riders, liftees, servers, cooks, groomers, ski schoolers, season pass holders, operations, ticket sales, day pass holders, the list goes on. We operate as a team. We love to see the smiles on the faces of our visitors as we work to bring them a quality experience in the mountains, bringing the laid back, friendly vibes that keep us all coming back for more.
When the pow is deep, the collective stoke is high. When it’s bluebird, we’re lapping the groomers and enjoying the views. We’re a truly independent resort. We’ve got the star power of the other guys, but we stick to our roots. Ski the difference, get to elevation, be where the snow is.
The Devlin
Under new ownership, The Devlin hotel in Lake Placid, NY was looking for updated brand language to accompany a branding overhaul as they present the new management to new as well as loyal customers. The language will set the stage for the website of the hotel as well as other media collateral: social media, press releases, etc.
- Story/History for Homepage
At The Devlin, we are driven by legacy—by our storied past and by our commitment to the future. Nestled in the heart of Lake Placid, with sweeping views of the surrounding Adirondacks and steps away from downtown, we offer charming suites and rooms steeped in the nostalgia of our legendary namesake, Olympic ski jumper and commentator Art Devlin. The hotel and its property have been in the family since 1953 and over the years, has been saved from development, making it a classic mainstay in Lake Placid for six decades.
Now, with thoughtful renovations, upgraded amenities, and a modern focus on sustainability and customer-driven hospitality under new ownership, The Devlin is ready to greet a new generation of visitors—families, travelers, athletes, and dogs, are welcome to discover our comfortable, clean getaway to rest and recharge among the High Peaks or to call our hotel “homebase” as they embark on adventures in the great Adirondacks.
- Value Statement
Here at The Devlin, it is our ultimate goal to provide a classic getaway experience nestled in the heart of a storied Olympic Village, with an elevated, customer-driven approach. Our values are built around a dedication to our sport’s legacy, providing nostalgic, charming hospitality devoted to authentic, clean, and sustainable service.
Brand Pillars
- Nostalgic
proud, legacy, history, timeless, storied, legend, classic, low-key, informal
- Charming
comfortable, cozy, amenities, hospitable, thoughtful, personality, hidden gem, family-friendly, magical
- Genuine
customer-driven, authentic, quality, value, hospitality, innovation, clean, efficient, sustainable, reliable, simple, consistent, committed
General Guidelines
Moving forward with The Devlin’s brand, Trampoline recommends the usage of the Value Statement and Brand Pillars to drive the voice and tone of the hotel and differentiate from the competitor set. Utilizing keywords and phrases such as hotel, suites, heart of Lake Placid, nostalgic, charming, authentic, and modern hospitality are key in establishing The Devlin as a mainstay in the village but also an updated hotel that is contemporary, clean, reliable, and in touch with its audience.
The agency recommends avoiding using the words accommodations, motel, old fashioned, historical, and vintage when describing the hotel to ensure that visitors are reminded that The Devlin is updated, renovated, and modern with nostalgic touches echoing the history of Lake Placid.
Michele Vidarte 