Checkerboard pattern with black and white squares

SECOND PLACE CO

Betsy and I opened Second Place in 2021, and it has been our creative playground ever since. What started as an idea became a retail shop, boutique salon, and testing ground for countless creative projects.

Second Place gave me the opportunity to build a brand completely from the ground up. I developed the name, brand identity, interior design, website, product line, packaging, photography, and marketing while helping shape every aspect of the customer experience. It became a place where I could experiment with ideas, launch products, and see what resonated in the real world.

One of my favorite parts of the business is staying connected to the making process. Many of the products are still designed, screen printed, sewn, dyed, packed, and shipped by hand. Being involved from the earliest concept through final production has given me a deep appreciation for craftsmanship and the details that turn an idea into something people genuinely connect with.

More than anything, Second Place has served as a proving ground for my creative work—a place to test ideas, refine processes, build products, design environments, and create experiences that bring people together.

A huge thank you to Cliff Endsley and Kai Diaz for capturing so many incredible photographs of the space over the years.

Brand Strategy • Naming • Brand Identity • Interior Design • Website Design • Product Design • Apparel Design • Packaging Design • Photography Direction • Content Creation • Retail Experience Design • E-commerce • Marketing • Screen Printing • Sewing • Production

SEE THE SHOP
Photograph of a film negative strip with an image of a store window and sign reading 'Second Place'.
Photograph of a man in a floral shirt working at a wooden counter, with a small lamp and various items in the background, seen through a film negative frame.
Close-up of a person's hands using a sewing machine with a checkerboard fabric, with a film border around the image.
A person wearing a red and yellow floral shirt with glasses, working at a counter in a cafe or shop, seen through a strip of photographic film.
A person with blond hair wearing sunglasses, a colorful patterned shirt, white pants, and black shoes sitting on a wooden bench outside a storefront.
A man with tattoos, a beard, and earrings wearing a floral cap, sunglasses, and a denim vest drinking from a can in an outdoor setting with plants and trees in the background.
Man wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and a graphic t-shirt with tattoos on his arms, sitting outside a vintage trailer with a wooden interior, while a person with blonde hair is visible in the foreground.
A man with tattoos on his arm, wearing sunglasses, a gray hat, and a gray t-shirt, stands with two young children at a sound and display trailer labeled 'By The Block.' The trailer has a small window, with books inside, and a sign featuring an antenn
A man with tattoos wearing a denim vest and a red trucker hat with a black patch, adjusting his hat with his right hand. The background is outdoors with green foliage and yellow structures.
A person wearing a camouflage-patterned baseball cap with an orange mesh back, earrings, and a denim jacket, standing in front of a row of surfboards outdoors.
A man wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and a white t-shirt with red text, standing at an open doorway of a silver trailer, with tattoos on his arms.
Logo for Seaside Place, featuring a large cursive font with a small dollar sign inside a circle above the text and a small price tag below.
Close-up of a navy blue pennant flag with white letters and a Logo with a palm tree and a crescent moon.
Close-up of a fabric banner with the partial text 'Oidia' visible on a white background.
Close-up of a fabric banner with red text and metal grommet, hanging against a white background.
Close-up of a blue fabric flag with white text and a small civilizations CA emblem on the bottom right corner.
Close-up of a black fabric flag with white text and a circular emblem with a star, attached to a pole with eyelets.
Blue pennant with white text and moon and palm tree graphic, reading 'Moonlight'.
A man with tattoos, wearing sunglasses, a cowboy hat, and a T-shirt that says 'Riding Allowed - Hell's Half Acres,' is sitting at an entrance of a metallic trailer with the word 'Airstream' on it, surrounded by foliage.
A man with a beard wearing a white T-shirt with a red graphic of a truck and the text 'RIDING ALL OVER THE HELL'S HAIR' and jewelry, standing near a window with a small black speaker and a vinyl record player with an orange record on a wooden table n
Black and white photo of a man wearing a cowboy hat, sunglasses, a graphic T-shirt, jeans, and boots, standing outside against a wooden fence. His shadow on the fence resembles a dragon or dinosaur head.
A beige t-shirt with a peace sign graphic on the left chest area, laying flat on a white background.
Gray sweatshirt with the word 'ENGINEERS' printed on it and a checkered pattern at the bottom
Dark blue T-shirt with a logo of wings and the letters 'SPC' on the front, laid flat on a white background.
A black T-shirt with a white checkered pattern graphic on the front.
A white T-shirt with black piping around the collar and sleeve edges, featuring the text 'ENCINITAS CALI' printed in large black letters.
A beige T-shirt with a printed graphic of a Stanley pneumatic hammer and the words "Encintas Hardware How To".
A man wearing a cowboy hat and a denim jacket smiling indoors, with a dark wall and various decorations including a license plate and horseshoes behind him.
Close-up of a person sewing fabric with a sewing machine, with hands guiding the fabric, and the sewing machine needle in motion.
A man with sunglasses playing an acoustic guitar in a music venue with warm yellow lighting.
A man with sunglasses walking down a sidewalk beside a white wall and a wooden door, wearing casual clothes and listening to music.
Graphic with a vintage pickup truck and the text 'Riding all over Hell's Half Acres, SD, CA, Downtown Encinitas' with flames beneath 'Hell's'
A man with tattoos on his arm holding a black cap with the letters S and O on its front, standing in front of a stylized striped background.

SPC MECHANIC’S CAP

The Mechanic's Cap has a fascinating history—it was originally designed during WWII to help US flight crews keep the sun out of their eyes. Its practical design quickly became a favorite among service members, who personalized their caps with names, ranks, pin-ups, and cartoons, often wearing them with the visor flipped up.

Our version of the Mechanic's Cap takes that classic functionality and gives it a modern twist. We use vintage black cotton canvas for a timeless look, and the cap features heavy stitching, internal reinforcement, and a flexible visor. The adjustable clasp ensures a perfect fit, and the embroidered lettering adds a custom touch. We’ve crafted this cap with a unique pattern we developed ourselves, and it's all made in LA. Over the years, we've refined it through three different iterations, always keeping that original spirit while enhancing its style and durability.

A person with tattoos working on a film storyboard or shot list, with photos, sketches, and notes pinned on a board in a studio setting.
A hand holding a collection of 35mm film canisters with yellow labels, including one labeled "Pushed-1" in a dimly lit setting.
A man with long black hair in a braid, wearing a beige beanie hat and a white tank top, is partially obscured by pinkish-orange motion blur or fabric, with green plant leaves in the background.
Close-up of a scientist or researcher looking into a microscope in a laboratory.
Close-up of a person holding and viewing a contact sheet of photographic images on a tablet or phone screen.
A person with tattoos on their arm is handling a strip of photographic film in front of photographs displayed on a wall, with a bright light above illuminating the images.
A person wearing a gray glove holding photographic slide film, with a computer screen in the background displaying a photo of a person.
A person with tattoos on their arm, wearing a white tank top, red lanyard, and gold chain, holding a camera with a flip-out screen in a room with a microscope and art on the wall.
A man with long dark hair tied back, wearing a white sleeveless shirt and gold rings, taking a photograph indoors with a vintage camera. In the background, there are wooden shelves with multiple hats on display.
Close-up of a man holding a vintage Mamiya 645 camera with a black lens, wearing a white tank top, pink pants, a gold chain, and a ring, with tattoos on his left arm, and focusing on the camera.
A vintage Mamiya 645 camera with a zoom lens is placed on a table. Behind the camera, there are color photographs of palm trees and a red-orange glass cube. The scene is lit with warm light.
Person with tattooed arm holding a strip of film photographs, with another person in the background.
A black baseball cap with embroidered letters, facing downward to show the top part of the cap and part of the back strap, against a white background.
Gray baseball cap with embroidered letters, viewed from the front against a white background.
Gray baseball cap with embroidered letter G on front.
A beige baseball cap with black embroidered letters on the front.
Beige baseball cap with black embroidered letters 'S' and 'O' on front, front view, isolated on white background.
A beige baseball cap with black embroidered letters, shown from the front against a white background.
Two bottles of beer with red and black caps next to a cloth bag with a black illustration of a tiger on it, placed on a wooden table inside a dimly lit bar or restaurant.
Three white drawstring bags with a black line drawing of a person riding a horse, placed on a sandy surface.
A bottle of craft beer with a white label next to a cloth with a skull and flames design, placed on a wooden surface.
Multiple white cloths with black skeleton illustrations of cowboys on horses arranged on the ground in rows, with shadows cast across the scene.
A container of Cowboy Coffee with a cloth coffee filter on top, a multi-tool knife, and a small canned food container on a wooden surface.
Coffee brewing instructions and details featuring Cowboy coffee, a rustic brewing method, with notes of sweetness, grape, and chocolate, and a collaboration with IronSmith. The design includes a map of Chiapas, Mexico, and icons of coffee cups and a
A can of Cowboy Coffee, a cup of black coffee, and a crumpled paper towel on multicolored textured surface.
Top view of a coffee can with a metal pull tab labeled 'U.S. SHELLBY CO.' and instructions to use the tab to pay open the can.

We take pride in doing everything we can in-house. From design to cutting, sewing, packaging, dying, and screening, every step of the process is done with the utmost care and attention to detail.