Tag: Arizona

  • Website Makeover Underway and the New LLC is Official

    Website Makeover Underway and the New LLC is Official

    As of today, the trade name of Held Gear is owned by THRU LLC in the state of Arizona. The federal EIN has also been filed. The flexibility of Arizona’s “any legal purpose” entities make it very easy to start small and grow. There is a broader vision for this company, if successful.

    A new website is now underway, it is an upgrade from an older WordPress theme, and it’s basically a clean slate that you can do almost anything with. All of the content is being revised, and new features are forthcoming.

    Promoting a fashion brand is almost half the product design and half the multimedia that goes into promoting it. From the product photos to modeling, and now the expectation of video plus social content creation, a whole lot of energy goes into the multimedia.

    THRU LLC comes from a publishing brand that I co-created to operate as a magazine back in 2015. We formed Thru Media LLC in Oregon at the time, but it dissolved in 2018. Very tough thing, starting up a magazine.

    In 2022, I brought THRU back because I wanted to publish documentaries and other media again. Held Gear was the excuse for buying the pro camera, because that was necessary for good product images.

    The idea was to file an LLC based out of Philly, but life changed before that happened, and it is fortunate that Arizona has certain advantages for small business formation. In Pennsylvania, you cannot be a fashion designer/retailer/marketplace and publish indie documentaries while doing photo shoots for hire on the side all under one LLC. You would need a minimum of two LLC’s just to get started with that.

    It’s good advice that I’ve heard multiple times, that you just put your idea and brand out there without any official filings to see if you even have a business. I guess that’s what I did.

    Ironically, it had to move away from the testing ground that established I’m capable of it. It’s a retest.

    So off I go to work on this website. And then the next thing. Thanks for reading. Be seeing ya.

  • Held Gear is Now Based in Tucson, Arizona

    Held Gear is Now Based in Tucson, Arizona

    As of February 22, 2025, the current sole proprietor of Held Gear (yours truly) was on the move to Tucson, Arizona, having three years ago brought the brand to Philadelphia from the small town of Ajo, Arizona.

    The roots of the brand go back to Portland, Oregon, as a side hustle developed by Micah Perry in late 2007, officially launching the business months later in 2008.

    While Philadelphia is a great location in terms of aesthetics and values that drive the Held Gear idea, this brand is a sole proprietorship that has to move with the ebbs and flows of the single operator’s life. Such was the case with Micah, as the business from time to time went on stand still as he managed the challenges thrown at him.

    From Tucson, the business environment is friendly, and the process of launching an LLC is more affordable, and simpler, than from Pennsylvania. The tax burden on a small business is minimum as compared to Philly. There are two large metropolises in Arizona, and many small towns with values aligned to the Held Brand. And yet, it is a smaller pond.

    Already, a new office in the heart of downtown Tucson has been established for Held Gear and can be found on the Contact Page.

    The inventory for all Held marketplaces have all been updated.

    Thank You Philly for the experience, and for the support received from customers, models, and creatives.