Here’s how one Fil-Am couple from Houston started and grew their clothing label
Photos courtesy of Chris Blodgett and Gemini Quintos-Blodgett
It’s always nostalgic to reconnect with someone with whom you’ve spent a chunk of your formative years .
In 2011, Gemini Quintos arrived in Manila from New York City to “explore” opportunities in the Philippines. I’m using “explore” loosely in this case, considering that this multi-hyphenate talent left no stones unturned.
From becoming a delightful magazine editor to a resolute performing artist (in theater and voice acting), this sprightly woman has one glaring quality that has always stood the test of time: She is fearless, not exactly in the Taylor Swift kind of way, but she embodies who she has always been as she did over a decade ago when I first encountered her in a little mini dress and high heels.
Fil-Am couple Chris and Gemini with their Sam & Davy merchandise
“This girl is talented, and she knows exactly who she is,” I remember thinking to myself back then, but there was never a hint of haughtiness or arrogance from her. That feeling still remains after all these years. And frankly, how can you shake off an experience in which there were plenty of shared ups and downs?
The story behind Sam & Davy
Gemini, now 35, has been back in the United States for several years now. She’s happily married to her husband Chris, 35 (they met in college in 2007 before getting together in 2014), raising two beautiful daughters and launching their clothing brand Sam & Davy in 2017.
“When we would travel, especially internationally, Chris would always mention how he wanted some way to represent Houston/Texas and show where he’s from, but the only options were sports merch or souvenir-looking gift shop graphic tees,” says Gemini.
“He wanted something you could dress up, throw a blazer over, and go to a nice restaurant or bar. Chris wanted nice clothes that had a little something on it to shout out his home city and state,” she narrates. “We happened to be in Asia when it came up one time so we went to visit some clothing manufacturers, and it all began. We started with only two items: an embroidered polo shirt and an embroidered T-shirt.”
Eventually, the Blodgetts received inquiries from boutiques that wanted to carry their products and somehow mustered the courage and confidence to open the first Sam & Davy brick and mortar at River Oaks Shopping Center in Houston.
“I work at the store while Chris works at the studio. During the summer, we hire a shopkeeper four days out of the week so we can be with the girls”
“I work at the store while Chris works at the studio,” Gemini says. “During the summer, we hire a shopkeeper four days out of the week so we can be with the girls. We’ll take turns running the shop and being home with the girls or taking them out.”
In this little interview, Gemini invites us into their life in Houston, their hopes and struggles as an entrepreneurial couple, and how their Filipino identity informs their approach to their clothing label Sam & Davy.
Hi Gem and Chris, I know both of you personally but could you share with us a little more about your backgrounds?
We both turned 35 this year! I was born in Saudi Arabia while my parents were working there as nurses. My mom is from Masbate and my dad from Pangasinan. They moved to New York when I was two, and that’s where I grew up. Chris was born and raised in Houston. His mom immigrated from Manila. His dad moved from Boston, and they met in Texas.
How would you describe the Filipino-American community in Houston, New York where you also lived, and the US in general?
Being two of the largest cities in the US, the Filipino communities in both New York and Houston are deep and strong. While you’ll find kababayans throughout, the areas with the largest Filipinos would be Sugarland and Pearland in Houston and Queens and New Jersey in and around New York.
One of the challenges they say is not “turning it off” work mode: “We’re almost never not talking about Sam & Davy, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing”
Both cities have thriving Filipino sub-communities; Chris grew up going to events with the Filipino Nurses Association. We both grew up attending/participating in the Fil-Am Basketball League, both of us were active in college Filipino clubs (FUPAC at Fordham University and Filipino Student Association at University of Houston). I should note that Chris did not attend University of Houston—we met at Fordham—but so many of his friends did, so he by association was “active” at the school’s Filipino club.
Could you introduce us to Sam & Davy? What’s the concept behind the brand?
Sam is in honor of Sam Houston, founder of the city, and Davy is for Davy Crockett, a Texas hero who defended the Alamo against General Santa Ana. The Philippines and Texas actually have a common colonizer in Spain.
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Sam & Davy started out online and then you eventually opened a physical store. Was there a turning point for you to make the transition?
We started selling online in February 2017. After just a few months, we started getting inquiries from boutiques about carrying our clothes. More and more stores started ordering our stuff, and we also actively pursued more wholesale accounts, and after a couple of years, as the brand proved itself, it got to the point where we felt confident about opening our own store. We opened our first shop in River Oaks Shopping Center in November 2019.
It’s important to note that Houston as a city is incredibly positive and supportive. It’s why we love it here and it’s a huge factor for our success.
“I’ve read too many super success stories of people whose only or greatest regret is not having spent enough time with their kids while they are growing up”
On that same note, Houston pride runs very deep and strong, and when our pro sports teams are playing and playing well, we feel that as a whole city, and we feel it as a community and as a company. That has brought us to the point where Houston Astros (MLB) players and Houston Rockets players are wearing Sam & Davy, and we have produced collaborative designs and collections with/for Rockets legend Steve Francis, the Houston Dynamo (MLS), the Houston Dash (NWSL), and Lululemon.
What challenges did you encounter in the process of launching and running Sam & Davy?
In the five years since launching Sam & Davy, we’ve had two kids and a global health/economic crisis. Having kids actually forced us to work really, really hard on Sam & Davy and put our all into it to make it successful. We often joke about how much more successful Sam & Davy would be if we had the time that we had before kids, but the truth is, the kids are what put the fire under our butts to grow it to what it is now.
A family portrait at the Sam & Davy store in Texas
What are the pros and cons of working together/being an entrepreneurial couple?
The pros are amazing. Obviously, we work for ourselves, and so we answer to no one but ourselves and each other. Managing work and home life is just simpler because they are one and the same. We have so much fun with each other, throwing ideas back and forth, and rolling up our sleeves, and doing physical work together.
But I would say having the freedom of owning your own business is in and of itself a challenge. You have to be disciplined enough to figure out what needs to be done and do it because no one else is going to figure it out or tell you to do it or do it for you. You have to hold yourself accountable, or you’ll suffer the consequences. Also, you have to make sure you don’t burn out.
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Is there anything from the Filipino culture that informs your approach to managing Sam & Davy?
I would say keeping it family-oriented and prioritizing our family no matter what. I’ve read too many super success stories of people whose only or greatest regret is not having spent enough time with their kids while they are growing up. And I think to myself. We don’t have to be that successful. We just want to be as successful as we can be while not missing out on our kids.
“Having the freedom of owning your own business is in and of itself a challenge—you have to be disciplined enough to figure out what needs to be done and do it because no one else is going to figure it out, or tell you to do it or do it for you”
Any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs who may also want to start a business like yours?
Manage your expectations, be prepared to pivot and/or evolve, and don’t get discouraged. You’re going to have a picture in your head of how it’s all going to play out, but if you can let that go, you’ll unburden yourself of potential disappointment, and you’ll clear your head and ego, allowing yourself to make changes as needed to anything that’s just not working.
Lastly, can you share some of your favorite spots in Houston?
Houston is an amazing place to live. The food scene in this city is unmatched by any, and I mean any, other place I’ve lived or visited. There is true cultural diversity here, and because of that, there are amazing, incredibly unique subcultures, especially when it comes to food, such as Viet-Cajun crawfish, a result of the enormous Vietnamese population in Houston. My fave joints are Reels Seafood and Bar and Crawfish Cafe, Asian-inspired Texas barbecue a-la Blood Bros BBQ, and of course, world-famous Tex-Mex. And while there is no shortage of authentic Filipino food, I do admire Be More Pacific, a restaurant that does an incredible job of making delicious food and marketing our favorite comfort dishes to Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike.
See more of Gemini and Chris’s work at Sam & Davy on Instagram.
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