In the summer of 2005, locally based surf and apparel brand Jetty was in its third year of existence. Its apparel line consisted of tees, sweatshirts and a few hats, mostly printed in a local garage. At the end of that summer, Hurricane Katrina plowed into the Gulf Coast, bringing a level of damage and suffering that changed the course of New Orleans’ history. Jetty created a Katrina Relief T-shirt and sent money to the American Red Cross.

Before the brand, and subsequently its online sales, grew, Jetty’s original presence was in surf shops.