Description: The legend of the black dog is a true one. There was a black lab who loved his master Robert Douglas and often would set sail with him around the waters of Martha's Vineyard. He was a faithful companion and was known to his master simply as "Black Dog."
Then the master built a small tavern in Vineyard Haven that opened in 1971. It was a small place that was to be opened year round, and it served the best chowder and pies on the island. Soon they opened a seperate bakery. The name was Black Dog and the logo was a simple silhouette of the black lab.
The tavern was a smash hit, and so was the bakery. In 1979, the tavern started selling a simple t-shirt with the dog logo. It soon became a smash too, and everyone just had to have one of the Black Dog t-shirts.
The t-shirts became so popular, that in 1997, they opened an apperal store in Edgartown. The little tavern was now a little empire.
Things really became popular when President Clinton visited the island and bought several of his love gifts to Ms. Lewinsky from the Black Dog. The name quickly became a household name across the whole U.S.
It's no longer cool for islanders to wear Black Dog wear. It is simply for the tourist. A waitress at Among the Flowers told us this fact when we were proudly wearing our Black Dog wear!
The store in Edgartown is large and has every kind of t-shirt, hoodie, and sweatshirt you can imagine with the famous logo on it. The store is mobbed with happy tourists with arms full of Black Dog products. We did our share of damage here!
Black Dog keeps growing and sadly they are now opening stores off the island. This year they have opened stores in Newport, P'Town, Falmouth, and Chatham. I prefer it when a store remains local; when you see the logo and you know the person bought it on the island. I fear soon it will be sold all over the country, and it will then lose its Vineyard charm. Did you buy yours in Edgartown or in Tulsa?
However, as of now, it remains a Vineyard success story and something no tourist can miss on his or her visit to Martha's Vineyard. You haven't really been here unless you can wear or carry a Black Dog t-shirt back home with you.
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