SeaVees stores are a nostalgic glimpse into the beginnings of the brand. The SeaVees brand was quite literally put on a shelf for nearly 40 years before the founder discovered a pair at a secondhand shop in Tokyo. The brand was brought back to life and across the Pacific to its original home in California—the state where dreams come true, or in this case, have a second chance.

SeaVees in Mill Valley is the brand’s third physical location, after its Santa Barbara and Newport Beach locations. The Mill Valley location was an existing liquor store renovated into a new SeaVees store. Located in Tam Junction, between San Francisco and Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, this store was the first SeaVees location in Northern California.

Dorman Associates facilitated an interior remodel to align with the aesthetic and design goals of the SeaVees brand, showcasing their high-quality shoes on custom display shelving units, along with a variety of other merchandise including clothing, art, and accessories. Dorman Associates also partnered with the SeaVees leadership team to enhance the exterior look and feel of the storefront, including lighting, signage, and a new shade structure awning.

This location was the third brick-and-mortar shop, and each store has its own identity based on curated pieces from local makers, along with the classic SeaVees shoes. Dorman Associates designed retail displays that highlighted local Bay Area artisans’ work throughout the space, interwoven with nautical-inspired eclectic decor to create a sense of place that reinforced the brand identity and created a cohesive interior space that tied into the other two SeaVees retail stores in Santa Barbara and Newport Beach.