Dave Gesacion did not plan to start a clothing brand during a pandemic. He was a swim coach in Clearwater with a full schedule and a routine he loved.
When Covid shut everything down in 2020, he found himself coaching on Zoom in the mornings and sitting by the pool by noon.
His wife, Allison, was working long hours at the kitchen table and noticed the same thing he did. The world had stopped, and no one knew what came next.
Dave grew up in Northeast Ohio and understood regional pride because he lived it. He grew up wearing the brands that celebrated Cleveland and Columbus.
Allison grew up in Clearwater and had always been jealous that Tampa Bay had no true hometown brand.
READ: Demolition to begin for $125M mixed-use project in downtown St. Pete
One afternoon, she made a suggestion that changed everything.
Dave remembers it clearly. “She said, ‘Why not start the clothing brand?’” he says.
Tom Brady had just signed with the Buccaneers, and the region felt electric. “She said if we were ever going to do this, the time was now,” Dave says.
Dave spent the next 17 weeks building the foundation. He built the website. He created the first six designs. He filed the LLC. By August 18, 2020, they were ready to launch.
Then the timing hit. The Lightning won the Stanley Cup two months later. The Rays went to the World Series the next month. The Buccaneers won the Super Bowl a few months after that. The Lightning won again ten months later.
“It just took off,” Dave says. “The timing was impeccable. The Tom Brady effect was real.”
Community Roots
When the world reopened in fall 2021, Dave and Allison set up at Hyde Park Market for the first time. The response surprised them.
“It was insane,” Dave says.
They began working every market Tampa Bay Markets operated across the region, from Wesley Chapel to Tampa to Saint Pete to Safety Harbor. They worked every weekend.
READ: National firm opens South Tampa innovation center with full test kitchen
They built friendships with local makers and small business owners. Every Monday morning, they opened their inbox to messages from people they had met the day before, including partners they never expected.
As demand grew, their house could not keep up. They moved into a 1,500-square-foot space in Clearwater and ran the brand from there. Shirts and hats filled every wall. They worked 15 and 16-hour days.
“People see social media and think it is glamorous,” Dave says. “It is not. But it is ours.”
The moment
In January 2024, they were back at Hyde Park. For five hours straight, the customers kept asking the same thing.
Where is your store?
When are you getting a store?
Do you have a store?
Dave pulled Allison aside. “We have grown as much as we can without a store,” he told her.
A friend connected them with a commercial realtor. They submitted an offer and were chosen over four companies. They opened their first storefront on April 20, 2024, on Henderson Boulevard.
“It has been a game changer,” Dave says.
Family built
The store is only part of the story. Much of the brand is produced inside their home.
Allison sews the patches on every hat. Their daughter uses a heat press to apply patches that do not require stitching. Their triplets, who are 19, work in the store and help with production.
READ: Is Trump’s proposed 50-Year mortgage all it’s cracked up to be?
During peak season, they move more than 1000 hats a month. Some orders are 200 or 300 hats at a time. Some are 400 or more. Wholesale orders add even more volume.
Dave calls it “major production” but says the real reward is watching his kids learn the value of work. “This is special because it is our family,” he says.
The pivot
Not every chapter was easy. A woman once approached them at a market and claimed she knew people in licensing. Dave says she “wanted a piece of the pie,” and when he declined, she sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding most of their football collection.
“It shook us,” Dave says. “But it ended up being a huge moment.”
It pushed them to refine the brand and bring on a design partner named Cory, who helped streamline their identity and elevate the look of every collection.
The rise
Some of the brand’s biggest moments came from chance.
One came from USF. Three years ago, the athletic department saw their hats and asked, “Can you make these in our colors?”
Dave sent a mockup in eight minutes. They ordered 400 pieces on the spot. That led to a licensing push that Dave and Allison completed in one week.
Since then, USF coaches have worn their hats on the sidelines. Players have worn them in photoshoots. The brand produced shirts and hats for the Hawaii Bowl game.
Dave calls USF “a huge catalyst for our growth.”
Another breakthrough came this year. Dick’s Sporting Goods launched a hyperlocal program and added For the Bay Clothing to six stores. The Brandon store nearly sold out during the first weekend.
“They reached out and said we need another order by Black Friday,” Dave says. “It was crazy.”
A partner in Nashville and a Tampa-based liaison walked them through the Dick’s process. “We could not have done it without them,” Dave says.
The craft
For the Bay Clothing is more than a simple print operation.
Their shirts are printed locally in Largo. Their polos and performance pieces are fully custom, designed from scratch and manufactured overseas.
The Bayshore Basics line took eight months and required samples from China, Vietnam, and Taiwan before production was approved.
“It was extremely stressful,” Dave says. “But worth it.”
Their new logo also carries meaning. The two swords represent Dave and Allison. The six palm leaves represent their six children.
“It has a hidden meaning that feels right,” Dave says.
Why it works
Dave believes the brand resonates because it began from a simple place.
“We are fans just like everybody else,” he says.
They focused on pride, quality and authenticity. They avoided shortcuts. They said no to partnerships that did not align.
READ: Fifth Third opens its 200th Florida branch as growth shifts south
They said yes when it felt right. They shared real behind-the-scenes work so customers could see the truth.
“People appreciate the hustle,” Dave says. “It is not glamorous. But it is ours.”
What Is Next
Dave and Allison want to keep growing. They want a presence at the new USF on-campus stadium when it opens in fall 2027.
They want to grow inside the City of Tampa. They want stronger partnerships with the Lightning, the Bucs, the Rays and the Rowdies. They want to keep building collections that reflect Tampa Bay.
They are exploring a second store. They are in talks with the Tampa airport. They have new collaborations coming with Valspar and Cigar City Brewing.
They are expanding their relationship with Tampa Bay Sun. They plan to enter the University of Tampa and USF bookstores in Q1 2026.
But they try to keep their mindset simple.
“We take it one choice at a time,” Dave says. “Every day we try to move closer to where we want to be.”
Takeaway
For the Bay Clothing is not a story of overnight success. It is a story of timing, pride, hard work, long nights and a family that believed Tampa Bay deserved a brand built for it.
It started at a kitchen table. It grew in a bedroom. It moved into a small office. It crossed every Tampa Bay Markets event from Wesley Chapel to Saint Pete.
Today, it sits on Henderson Boulevard. Tomorrow it may be in stadiums, campuses and stores across the region.
One thing has not changed.
For the Bay Clothing is a family business built on love for Tampa Bay. And Dave says that will always be the point.
