WHERE IS BIRD DOG BAY?

It all started in a little Chicago suburb called Sleepy Hollow, where our founder and principal designer, Steve Mayer, spent his youth. He was raised by a mother who was the town’s favorite over-the-top second grade teacher and the perfectly contrasting Harley-riding, fly-rod-toting art teacher for a father. Both parents showed him the value of living life to its fullest, while on the same note, not taking it too seriously. Steve was a true designer from the beginning – sculpting giant serpents in the sand, throwing works of art on his father’s potters wheels, crafting the whole animal kingdom out of hundreds pipe cleaners, and of course, drawing with his trusty 18 pack of soft leaded drafting pencils.

Steve began his career as the in-house graphic and tie designer for an English woven neckwear company in the mid-1990’s, working diligently to perfect his craft. However, as the years passed, the thirst for a more creative endeavor grew stronger. Never one to shy away from a challenge, he found two 140-year-old carpenter cottages in the northwest side of Chicago. In dire need of total repair, they were just the project he’d been looking for. He re-designed ...