Our Story
The wall
I'm Tom. Husband, father of three. For years my life looked fine from the outside. Job, mortgage, school runs.
Then I hit the wall a lot of men hit and almost none of us name. Not a breakdown. Flat. Tired in a way sleep did not fix, short with the people I love most, weeks blurring together.
I said nothing about it for a long time. That is the part I would change.
What helped
A corner of the house that was mine. An hour on a Thursday nobody else had a claim on. Two friends who asked a second time instead of taking "all good" for an answer.
That was all of it. Sounds too small to matter. It worked.
Why a shop, and why Florida
I built the thing I had needed myself: gear for the corner of the house that belongs to him. The bar cart, the garage, the room with the TV and the good chair.
A man cave gets laughed at as a toy. I think it is closer to maintenance. An hour alone and you come back with something left for your wife and your kids.
LIONMERE LLC is registered in Florida and that was not a tax decision. I love that place. I wanted something real tying me to it instead of photographs from old trips.
The bear
Our mascot walks with a crutch. We never say what happened to him. A bad knee, a bad year, a father who is gone, a job that quietly ate a decade. He does not hide it and he does not talk about it. He keeps going and he is good company.
I am a limping bear. A small one, but still. So is every man I know, once you get past the first ten minutes.
Everything ships from US warehouses. The Den is where we publish short pieces on stress, friendship and how to check in on a friend without it being weird.
A real person, after hours
I should say this plainly, because the internet is full of the other thing: I am not an AI product, nor a Chinese bot. I am one man with a day job, three kids and a laptop, working on this after they go to bed.
That is also why you do not get my face and my whole life story here yet. When the shop stands on its own feet, I will introduce myself properly.
What I am aiming at: our own warehouse, our own shelves, and one day meeting some of you in person, with a glass in hand. I think we get there. Who knows, maybe sooner than I have any right to expect.
Come talk to me
Tell me what you would want in your own corner. Tell me what is missing here. Or just say hello – you do not have to buy anything. I read every message myself, and I answer.
– Tom, founder
If things are heavier than a limp right now, talk to a doctor or someone you trust. You can call or text 988 any time. Asking is not weakness.