Behind The Scenes: LIZY

by 2 April 08, 2012 0 Comments

Most people think that The 7 Line operation has many hands. While it may seem that way to some, the majority of duties are dealt with by myself. I outsource a design here or there, but the graphic design, printing of each t-shirt, blog, videos, facebook and twitter maintainance is my "job". I do have a part time employee and she goes by the name of Liz, or LIZY if you ask any of her old friends. When things started to pick up for me there was just no way I could handle everything by myself. I often take on more than I can chew and my one track mind always has work on the horizon. On May 12th 2011 my life changed. The Daily News wrote a full page story about me and The 7 Line. The exposure was huge and orders started to pile up. I had a mini nervous breakdown and knew it was time to get help. I believe that a business should only grow as quick enough for the work they can handle. This was getting overboard and the time came to either sink or swim. If I failed to get all the orders out in a timely fashion it would look like amature hour and eventual brand suicide. Lucky for me about a week or two later Lizy joined The 7 Line and has been working ever since when things get busy in the shop. So, take a minute or two to get to know Lizy and what she does for The 7 Line... Name: 

"Liz (Lizy) Saroyan... Every one that I was friends with before college knew me as Lizy, I'd figure I'd drop the "Y" to sound more mature. Darren knew me as Lizy and makes fun of me when I introduce myself as "Liz". I guess he doesn't feel it's appropriate. He still calls me Lizy."   

When did you meet Darren?

"We met about 13 years ago though a mutual friend and have been friends ever since." 

How did you become a part of The 7 Line? What was your previous job?

"I have had many jobs but the most memorable and reputable was being a high end interior designer in NYC. When the economy went south, high end design did too and the showroom I was working in shutdown. I spent some time unemployed and last Memorial Day (2011) while watching the infamous Little Neck / Douglaston Parade, we joked about hiring me, and a few days later I was on the payroll!" 

What are your duties?

"Anything that needs to get done for orders to get out and make people happy! I fold, ship packages and email customers. It sounds simple, some days it's easy and other days can be stressful, just like any other job."

What do you love/hate most about working for The 7 Line?

"I love that we have been friends for so long, that makes things a lot easier, I don't feel the stress of working for a "boss". Our communication is open, we listen to each other, we can be silly and mess around but when things need to get done, we do it! That being said, the worst part about the job is the whole "warehouse" thing. The temperature inside is nuts! My first day on the job it was 90+ degrees outside, with no AC, being a little nervous and t-shirt dryers set to 300+ degrees, it was murder in the workplace. I almost passed out, I came very close, jumped up on a table and laid down for a little while. And during the winter months I freeze! I would go to work as prepared as possible, (no heat in the warehouse minus the t-shirt dryers) layered with clothing as if I was about to hit the slopes! lol It got pretty cold in there. Two pairs of socks, Uggs (which Darren hates), two pairs of pants, multiple shirts/sweaters and a hat. Nothing worked, the cold went straight to my bones."

What was it like holding down the fort while Darren was down at Spring Training?

"When Darren told me he was going away, ego took over and I said, "I got this". Everything would have been so smooth if Darren didn't take the work computer (PC) down to PSL with him.

He planned for his trip so well, all the details seemed to be worked out, wished him luck and sent him on his merry way. Monday arrived, with orders from the weekend that were adding up. I plugged in my superduper MAC and I figured I would be able to continue work as usual, but that didn't happen.

When it came time to print a label, it wasn't working!!!! F**K!! We use a special printer for the shipping labels and apparently, it only works with PCs!!!!!!! Needless to say it was a struggle to figure things out quick and keep calm. Seeing pictures and reading posts about how much Darren was enjoying his time in Florida while I was stressing out and freezing didn't help, but in the end, I'm happy that he knows he has someone he can trust back home.

I ended up figuring it out using a different computer in the shop and it worked out in the end."

Do you have a favorite moment since you've been hired?

"Meeting new fans as we walk through the stadium is always so much fun, especially when you get recognized almost like you're famous! People stop Darren every few feet!! Being in newspapers and on the ESPN website (last game of 2011) was awesome too!

I love talking to fans about the brand and I love stopping people that are wearing a shirt and talking to them. I always want to hear the story of how they learned about the brand. Just being a part of it is amazing! On a side note...I would like to give Darren a shout out! I see how hard he works, it's so much more than a 9-5 for him. He thinks about this brand 24/7. His brain is always ticking, he is very creative and tries so hard to incorporate the fans as much as possible. After all it is by the fans for the fans! He works really hard and deserves only the best!"

 THANKS LIZY! If you see her at Citi buy this girl a drink! She deserves it!

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