Rick Hindin – Entrepreneur | Britches of Georgetowne, Adworks, and Chicken Out

Our Town with host Andy Ockershausen - Homegrown History

Rick Hindin on meeting Ralph Lauren in 1967 when he was selling ties made by a company called Beau Brummell ~ "He had one table, about a 200-square-foot room, and we walked in and we looked at his ties and they were incredible but they were expensive. So, I told Ralph, "Your ties are too expensive." He said, "Well then you're not the customer for my ties. . . we bought his ties and the rest is history. At one point in time, Britches was the third largest user of Ralph Lauren products in the country." Rick Hindin - Entrepreneur | Britches of Georgetowne, Adworks and Chicken Out with Andy Ockershausen in studio interview Andy Ockershausen: This is Andy Ockershausen and this is Our Town. I am so really personally delighted to have the opportunity to spend at least the next half hour with one of my dearest, oldest friends. The man is absolutely a legend in Washington and Our Town, and, he started in Our Town. He's born in Baltimore but he's Our Town guy. He's done so much for Our Town, but most of all what he did was bring a new enlightenment when he opened Britches. So welcome Rick Hindin. You're much bigger than Britches to me. Rick Hindin: Hi, Andy, how are you? Andy Ockershausen: Do you realize ... Rick Hindin: Good to see you again. Andy Ockershausen: Well, you know, I went to Brotman's90th birthday yesterday. Rick Hindin: Oh really? Andy Ockershausen: Yeah. He's got me by a year. I'm gonna do it next year though. You'll be there, right? Rick Hindin: I'll be there. Andy Ockershausen: Rick, I go back with you to the early '60s. I thought it was with Larrabee, a local advertising agency of some importance at the time. Rick Hindin: Right. Andy Ockershausen: But, you say it isn't. Lewis & Dobrow - Advertising Agency Rick Hindin: Well, Larrabee was owned by Larry Dobrow and I joined the firm after they merged with Allan Jack Lewis. Andy Ockershausen: What was it called? I don't recall. Rick Hindin: Lewis and Dobrow. Andy Ockershausen: That's right, Lewis ... and you had some automobile accounts as I recall. Ourisman Chevrolet Rick Hindin: We had a few. Ourisman Chevrolet was my biggest account. Andy Ockershausen: You get your way with Ourisman Chevrolet. That yours? Rick Hindin: Donor did that. Andy Ockershausen: Oh, I got it. Rick Hindin: Out of Baltimore. Andy Ockershausen: Did you have the helicopter? Rick Hindin: Ours was more exciting. Our slogan was, "Cars cost less at Ourisman Chevrolet." Andy Ockershausen: Yeah, that's unheard of. Why do we have all this advertising now and nobody says that? Rick Hindin: We were very creative in those days. Allan Jack Lewis, he went right to the jugular. Andy Ockershausen: Well, and he was an advertising genius. He was also a writer of some importance. Rick Hindin: Yeah, Allan . . . Jack wrote a play that was produced on Broadway. Andy Ockershausen: Right. I remember you went up to New York for that. Rick Hindin: I did. I did. Andy Ockershausen: See, I know so much about you, Rick, being on the sidelines because at that time, WMAL was very important in this community and you were very important because you were growing. Everybody knew you were gonna go places. The next thing I know, you're talking to me. You've got a slack shop on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown. I said, "Rick, what are you doing in the retail business?" Rick Hindin: Georgetown Slack Shop opened in 1966. Andy Ockershausen: And then you've got a...