March 19, 2024
Guy Harvey

A friend convinced Guy Harvey that his work had commercial potential. His first big break came at the 1986 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

Photo: Brian Smith

Guy Harvey Store

Guy Harvey apparel

Photo: courtesy Guy Harvey

Guy Harvey Studio

Harvey’s art studio on Grand Cayman Island is also a retail store for his artwork.

Photo: courtesy Guy Harvey

Guy Harvey Research

The Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University helps scientists manage fish populations and their ecosystems. 

Photo: Nova Southeastern

Guy Harvey Magazine

Guy Harvey magazine

Photo: courtesy Guy Harvey

Guy Harvey Card

Lottery ticket

Photo: courtesy Guy Harvey

Guy Harvey Outpost

The TradeWinds Resort in St. Pete Beach has transformed its Sandpiper Hotel into a Guy Harvey Outpost. Harvey is planning other Outposts on the Galapagos Islands.

Photo: courtesy Guy Harvey

Guy Harvey

Guy Harvey’s name now appears on a magazine, license plates, hotels, lottery tickets, a growing line of clothing, an ecological institute and a foundation.

Photo: Brian Smith

Guy Harvey Shark

Harvey spends time diving and fishing “to stay on top of the anatomy and the physiology” of his subjects. 

Photo: Bill Watts

Guy Harvey and the Sea

“Nowadays, you see all the copycats. They copy my poses and my imagery, but they are not prepared to do their own research work."

Photo: George Schellenger

Florida Trend Business Profile

Guy Harvey and the Art of the Deal

Guy Harvey's fish paintings have made his T-shirts and name synonymous with fishing and Florida's casual lifestyle. Can he push the brand nationally?

Lilly Rockwell | 2/25/2013

A dark SUV pulls up to a Beall’s department store in northeast Tallahassee and deposits Guy Harvey at the front entrance. It’s a Sunday afternoon in December and more than 100 people are lined up inside, waiting to have Harvey put his distinctive, long-stemmed signature on the T-shirts and posters they are carrying.

It’s a diverse crowd: Suburban moms towing toddlers, tanned 50-something men, college girls in running shorts, a Marine in his dress blues, teenage boys and grandparents hunting for Christmas gifts.

Some have arrived hours early to get a better spot in line. After Harvey settles in for the two-hour signing, one particularly rabid fan approaches.

John Davidson drove 440 miles from Memphis, where he builds airplanes for Lockheed Martin, to Harvey’s appearance in Pensacola the day before. Then he motored on another three hours to Tallahassee to grab a second Harvey autograph.

Harvey recognizes Davidson, greets him warmly and Davidson walks away with another autograph to add to his stash of more than 40 Harvey-signed posters and artwork.

Not all of Harvey’s devotees are as fervent as Davidson, but they continue to swarm to Harvey’s 27-year-old brand, paying premium prices for Harvey-decorated posters, sandals, doormats, dog collars, coffee mugs, cell phone covers, and, of course, his hugely popular fish-emblazoned T-shirts.

The T-shirts, which sell for between $15 and $30, bring in the most revenue, Harvey says, but he won’t disclose how many shirts he sells or much else relating to the financials of Guy Harvey Inc., a nine-employee Davie operation that oversees the licensing of his name and artwork. “We don’t talk about that,” Harvey says.

Steve Stock, Guy Harvey Inc.’s president, is also tight-lipped about the company’s finances, but it’s clear the apparel business is lucrative. Since 2004, Harvey’s sportswear has been manufactured and distributed by the American Fishing Tackle Co. (AFTCO). Bill Shedd, AFTCO’s president, says his company, which employs 75, maintains a staff of five just “to build designs for Guy Harvey” adding design flourishes to Harvey’s painted images. AFTCO, says Shedd, sells “millions” of Harvey T-shirts each year.

Licensing experts say Harvey likely receives a royalty fee of between 8% and 10% of the wholesale cost of his T-shirts. Assuming a wholesale cost of $10, Harvey could pocket about $1 per T-shirt.

Tags: Trendsetters, Arts & Entertainment

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