At its Second Annual Time Out event on October 28 and 29, Little Treasury Jewelers donated a portion of its proceeds to the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) of Annapolis. Time Out, a large two-day watch fair, saw over 100 watch aficionados attend to personally experience fine watches from over 20 distinct brands the store carries. ORP is an Annapolis based nonprofit that designs, promotes and implements shellfish ecological oyster restoration, aquaculture and commercial fishery activities to improve the environment and expand economic opportunities in the Chesapeake Bay, Coastal Bays and beyond.
Following the event, Paul Schurick, Director of Partnerships at ORP, and ORP mascot “Shelly” received a check for $2,000 on ORP’s behalf from Little Treasury co-owners Linda and Steve Hammalian.
Little Treasury is known by watch enthusiasts and collectors for its wide variety of watch options offering unique and often hard to find fine watches. Time Out extends this opportunity through its numerous brands and showcases, including participation by watchmakers and brand ambassadors. “There was a real sense of excitement and enthusiasm at the event,” Steve Hammalian says. “Most exciting though is that we at Little Treasury were able to support our community and promote local goods, services as well as ORP’s ongoing successful efforts to save the Bay through oyster recycling and restoration. I’m looking forward to seeing this event grow in the future and doing more to support worthy causes in the Chesapeake Bay region.
George Thomas and Hartwig Balke, founders of the Towson Watch Company help out a customer at Time Out 2017.
Kate Cwiek, marketing director at ORP, echoed his enthusiasm. “ORP is excited about our new relationship with Little Treasury, and we are grateful they chose us to be the beneficiary for this event. It’s a great opportunity for us to showcase Chesapeake Bay oysters and raise awareness about what we do,” Cwiek said. She encouraged guests to get involved by eating at restaurants that are part of ORP’s Shell Recycling Alliance.
An associate working with a watch enthusiast at Time Out 2017.
ORP collects used oyster shells from these restaurants, ages and washes them, and attaches oyster larvae to the recycled shells. These grow into new oysters, and the baby oysters are then returned to oyster reefs in the Bay, where they help rebuild the environment. Each new oyster shell can generate as many as 10 new oysters. For more information go to oysterrecovery.org.
Also contributing to this event were Little Treasury’s outstanding partners Truth Napa Valley Wines, Flying Dog Brewery, and Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company. Little Treasury would like to thank these partners and the event attendees whose contributions made the donation to ORP possible.