JOURNAL JAMS: VOL 31
Banks Journal: Hey Tom! Thanks for hanging today.
Tom: Hey hey! Stoked to do it…
Banks Journal: Tom, you’re known as quite the salesman, what’s it like selling the range each season? Do you have a secret formula to it?
Tom: I appreciate the lovely compliment. Some would say it is the least sexy job at Banks Journal but I strive in un-sexiness. There really is no formula. Our product being beautifully designed and sustainable sells itself. I am just lucky enough to be the middleman and get to hear about the lives of our retailers.
Banks Journal: Nice. Bullshit aside, I’d buy some tee shirts off you in a heartbeat. Hahaha. Are you surfing much in the in betweens of your day to day? Where can you be spotted the most?
Tom: As many would attest at the office, I am always down for a surf some around Newport.. I am pretty optimistic and will always have a ball. I am just as excited to surf small and piddly as I am to surf big and pumping! River jetties does have a special place in my heart.
Banks Journal: Extremely heartwarming! By the way, you made me a crazy good cappuccino earlier… Have you ever considered picking that up on the side?
Tom: Hahaha. I love coffee but never had it at home growing up. The first time I had coffee was during study abroad in high school in Italy and I fell in love. That being said, it does bring up a good point maybe I should start working the coffee bar at Vacancy next door to our office when I do my daily phone calls. Hahaha
Banks Journal: Sounds good, I just want you to know that a Keurig won’t cut it…possibly something outta one of those Nespressos though. Haha So where abouts did you grow up?
Tom: I am one of the few people that can say that I grew up in LA county in a small town named Arcadia, which was amazing because it was a stop on the Metro Gold line. We have the best Chinese food in the USA… Hell, the first US Din Tai Fung was a block away from my childhood home. The only slight hiccup was it was so far from the beach, but I had this whole crazy shuffle of trains and buses to navigate with my surfboard to the beach.
Banks Journal: Best in the USA? Damn, you might get some backlash for that. I’m not saying you’re lying, but a very critical statement. Hahaha but I believe you Tom. So, you gave me a tour of your lovely boat earlier as well. Any key benefits to living on a sailboat?
Tom: Hahaha. There are several keys benefits and several splinters that come along them. Here they are:
1. You realize what you need and what you want are separate things. If you ain’t gonna use it more than twice a week, that is a want, not a need.
2. I always have something to learn about and fix. It is hard to not have something to do.
Banks Journal: Haha I love that! Man, maybe more should start hopping on the work/live/sail lifestyle. Well Tom, any advice for us going into 2021?
Tom: Well 2020 just turned drinking age, so something is coming. Hahhaha All jokes aside. The pandemic really made me think of this Robert Kennedy quote, “The future will be shaped by those willing to commit their minds and their bodies to the task ”. That being said, let’s really focus on deescalating COVID. Put on a mask, get tested regularly, know your COVID status, and support your local small business.
Banks Journal: Amen. By the way, are you a bit genre specific or a little all over the place when it comes to your playlists? This one you put together for us is damn nice.
Tom: It is a little bit all over the place but isn’t this year? The playlist is made to turn off the notifications from the technology in your pocket. Make your favorite cocktail. Fuck actually; open that nice bottle of wine (unless 2020 already drank it) and light that fancy candle your mom gave you last Christmas. – Sorry for cussing, I live on a sailboat, it comes with the territory.
Banks Journal: Haha fancy candle your mom gave you…I feel like it’s actually reversed. I can’t remember how many candles I’ve given my mom for all special holidays/occasions. Maybe I can only speak for myself. I got one last question for you and it’s really just one to stir the pot at home… is Henry more attached to you or Catherine?
Tom: Hahahahha, the answer may get me in trouble, but I am going to answer it anyway. Henry and I are thick as thieves, so I would say myself. But I am definitely the Disneyland Dad. He goes to the beach, sailing, and dirt-bike riding with me. He is a totally different dog with Catherine. He is a bit of sneaky little minx that way. Catherine and him just cuddle and eat take out when I am on the road. I guess we won’t really know unless he told us.