The Latest From Socksmith | The Socksmith Blog

In 1988, Eric and Ellen Gil opened the doors to their very first store. It all started with their modest 450 sq. ft. Sockshop & Shoe Co., which has since become an icon of our beloved downtown Santa Cruz. In 2007, along with Cassandra Aaron, they founded Socksmith Design. Over the years, from these small seeds, they have filled our hearts with so much more than just socks. Their partnership has survived more than most: store openings and closures, an earthquake, a recession, and most recently, a global pandemic.

But the thing we're all so eager to learn: how do you survive such a whirlwind and still come out so successful? 

This is the story of the evolution of Socksmith Design.

The best way to describe our Socksmith warehouse is “meticulous.” It’s a finely tuned machine that always runs like clockwork. Sure, the Socksmith family is a group of wacky and wonderful individuals connected by a passion for self-expression. But our warehouse team is the backbone of our brand, and each shipment is lovingly packed by hand, from one sock lover to another. 

To get a glimpse into how effectively our Socksmith warehouse functions, we managed to steal our warehouse manager, David Magbanua, away from his holiday orders for a brief chat...