SayWerd
SayWerd
SayWerd is a store specializing in streetwear, footwear, collectibles, video games and more. Originally launched by Benny Tralongo as a streetwear brand in 2017, SayWerd is now a store located at 3474 N. Oakland Avenue on the border of Milwaukee and Shorewood. They have over a thousand items in their inventory with new arrivals every day.
SayWerd logo
Tralongo explains that SayWerd was born out of him doing design work. “I was working with local businesses and galleries around town, and it got to the point where I realized that I didn’t want to work for other people. I’ve always wanted to be my own boss and have a business, and this was the first solid step in that direction. I started with original designs and limited drop, and I’d make my way through pop-ups and local events like Brady Street Fest, Locust Street Fest, Center Street Days and a lot of events at Company Brewing.”
Over time he started incorporating vintage and toys and video games—all the things that he’s passionate about and had been personally collecting anyway. “I had the brand, but I was also thrifting and hitting estate sales, garage sales, and traveling all over the place for these items; they all blended so well together so it only made sense.
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Tralongo signed the lease for the storefront in March 2020 just a week before shutdown. He recalled, “In February right before the pandemic I flew out to Arizona to sell a bunch of vintage to a lot of stores. The calling to Arizona was getting in touch with the Netflix show ‘Slobby’s World’ where Slobby Robby collects a lot of bootleg vintage designer; he reached out to me and we did a deal, and that’s when it hit me that I need to do this. Having the store for the first few months of the pandemic really gave me purpose at the time…there was always something to do.”
The name SayWerd was inspired by Tralongo’s high school friends. “One of our friends would always be like “oh, word” and it just became predictable that he’d say that so in situations we’d go “oh, say word!” and eventually I made it my social media handle everywhere,” he explained. “That was back in like 2007-2008. I’d play with different fonts to make it look catchy and recognizable.”
SayWerd
SayWerd
Nostalgia is a core theme of SayWerd; they incorporate memorabilia from classic cartoons, anime, comics and games into their collections. “The goal was to build a place that 10-year old me, 15-year old me, 30-year old me and future me would all want to shop at,” Tralongo said. “I’ll see a 60-year-old man looking at Star Wars toys while there’s a 25 year old dude looking at sneakers on the wall, and then there’s a 10 year old kid looking at Pokemon cards. Something will get brought up and all three of them will start talking. There’s so much cross-generational communication going on all the time amongst customers and staff, which is great.”
SayWerd’s latest drops include an Astro Boy collection, vintage Betty Boop merchandise, and a recent collaboration with the Milwaukee Bucks. Next year they are planning a large-scale event that will involve both local and out-of-state vendors. “We’re always looking for new collaborations so stay tuned,” Tralongo said.
The store is open Thursday 12-6 p.m., Friday 12-8 p.m., Saturday 1 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sunday 12-5 p.m., closed Monday-Wednesday. Visit the SayWerd website here.
SayWerd
SayWerd
