Meet Anthony Daniels and Nico Albert | Co-Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anthony Daniels and Nico Albert and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anthony and Nico, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
The whole premise behind NBHD Merch was to help the restaurant and bar industry. Merchandise is such a great way for restaurants and bars to connect with their most loyal customers. It’s a great source of marketing and it’s a great conversation starter. Sadly we noticed that a lot of our favorite local spots didn’t offer any merch – mainly because of upfront costs and time constraints. We created NBHD Merch to eliminate both of those factors.

By using our marketplace, local spots can get set up with custom branded merch without spending a dollar upfront – and without investing any time. We cover everything for them, so they can spend more time focusing on their business. More importantly.. we give every neighborhood shop a free and easy way to connect with their biggest fans, specifically via merch.

The best part about NBHD Merch is that the impact goes both ways. As beneficial as it is for businesses, we’re also seeing an impact for consumers. There’s so many people in the community that love to support their favorite local spots. By making merch more accessible, we’re giving people another outlet to do so.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Starting a business is such an amazing experience, but it’s also one of the most challenging things someone can do. It’s a constant grind.. day in and day out. Most people see the end product but very few see the work it took to get there. That’s why it’s so important to have a solid team and support base around you. You need people you can trust and that can help motivate you – because honestly it can get a tad lonely at times.

That’s what makes our story really unique. We actually met in kindergarten when we were only 5 years old. We’re practically brothers given we’ve been best friends now for 25 years. We have the same vision, the same drive, and we both are great motivators for one another. Having that type of trust and connection has been incredibly beneficial for us when starting NBHD Merch. We knew we always wanted to start a company together, and seeing it come to fruition has been special for both of us.

Starting a business in the restaurant and bar space has also been a really awesome experience for us – almost full circle. We both consider ourselves foodies… and we both love a good cocktail. Over the last handful of years, some of our greatest memories have been with our friends and family at our favorite neighborhood spots. To be able to work with some of those same spots now and give back to them really means a lot.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Love this question! Apologies in advance for the long answer… we could probably write a book about this. It really all depends on what you’re feeling!

Breakfast? We’re either grabbing a breakfast burrito at Great White or breakfast tacos at HomeState.

Looking for some spots that fly under the radar but always deliver on quality? The Window in Venice – great burger and $3 tecates. Sold. Obviously Hinano Cafe.. It’s pretty much a local favorite. Jitlada on Sunset is some of the best Thai food in the business. If you haven’t been – go. Last but certainly not least is our personal favorite: La Isla Bonita taco truck (chef’s kiss).

If we’re grabbing a sandwich, it’s one of four places: Mickey’s Deli in Hermosa Beach, Bay Cities in Santa Monica, Cavaretta’s in West Hills or Brent’s Deli in Northridge. Done and done.

Need a spot with great food, great drinks, and a great atmosphere? We have three main go-to’s: VIDA Modern Taqueria in Redondo beach is incredible – highly recommend it. The Victorian in Santa Monica is basically our local watering hole. We’d go every weekend if we could. Finally there’s The Rose in Venice. Hands down the best espresso martini on the westside.

We’ll cap off our recs list with some nice sit-down spots. You have to try either Bestia, Majordomo, Ronan or Bavel. You can’t go wrong with any of those.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost – we have to give a shoutout to our parents. They’ve always been our biggest supporters. They’re our greatest motivation for everything we do.

Second, we want to give a shoutout to our two other partners, Corbin and Andrew. When it comes to starting a business, you have to have a great team.. And we’re incredibly grateful for everything they do.

Lastly, we want to give a shoutout to our very first NBHD partners! Mickey’s Deli, VIDA Modern Taqueria, Sake High!, Canary, and The Victorian. Not only did they give us our foundation as a business, but they’ve also been incredible mentors to us throughout this process.

Website: https://nbhdmerch.shop/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nbhdmerch/