Behind the Stitch: Celebrating Turtle Central & Their Mission

At Port City Apparel, we’re lucky to work with many local businesses, each with their own story. But every so often, a project reminds us why we do what we do in the first place. Our recent collaboration with Turtle Central on Bald Head Island was one of those projects.

Yes, we embroider sweatshirts. Yes, we used our craft to create a design that feels as special as the place it represents. But really, this story isn’t about us. It’s about Turtle Central, their mission, and the sea turtles that have been calling Bald Head Island home for generations.

An Island With a Bigger Purpose

Bald Head Island is the kind of place that slows you down. There are no cars here, just golf carts and bicycles. The air carries the scent of salt and pine. The lighthouse keeps its watch, and at night, the beaches fall quiet under the stars.

But under that sand, something extraordinary is happening. Sea turtles—creatures that have been nesting along this coast for thousands of years—are still returning every summer to lay their eggs. And it takes an entire community to protect them.

That’s where Turtle Central comes in. Their shop in the middle of the island is more than a gift shop—it’s the funding engine for conservation. “Proceeds from nearly everything they sell go directly back into programs that protect Bald Head Island’s sea turtles and preserve the fragile ecosystems they depend on.”

More Than a Sweatshirt

We know, at first glance, it’s just a sweatshirt. Something soft you throw on after a bike ride, something to keep you warm when the ferry gets breezy. But when you pick one up at Turtle Central, it becomes something else.

It becomes a story. A keepsake. A symbol of the island’s rhythm and its purpose.

Because behind every sweatshirt is a bigger picture: volunteers walking the beach at sunrise, checking for fresh turtle tracks. Scientists carefully marking nests. Families gathering under the stars to watch hatchlings make their way to the ocean for the very first time.

That’s what you’re really wrapping yourself in when you put one of these sweatshirts on.

What We’ve Learned From Turtle Central

As a company, we often talk about “the stitch behind the brand”—the meaning, the story, the care that goes into what we create. Working with Turtle Central has been a reminder that some stitches carry more weight than others.

They’ve shown us how a small island shop can fuel real, lasting change. How something as simple as buying a sweatshirt can help keep a species alive. And how community, when it comes together around a cause, can leave a legacy.

We’re proud of the work we did on these sweatshirts—but we’re even prouder of what they stand for.

Carrying the Mission Forward

Next time you step off the ferry and wander into Turtle Central, take a moment. Look around. Every item on those shelves is part of a bigger story. Every purchase helps sea turtles survive.

And if you try on one of the new Bald Head Island appliqué sweatshirts, we hope you’ll feel not just the softness of the fabric, but also the purpose stitched into it.

Because at the end of the day, this isn’t about apparel. It’s about protecting something timeless.

Behind the Stitch

We want to celebrate Turtle Central for what they do—not just as a client, but as a vital part of the Bald Head Island community and as caretakers of one of the most important sea turtle nesting sites on the East Coast.

We’re honored they trusted us to contribute in our own small way. And we’re grateful to know that behind every sweatshirt we stitched is a mission worth celebrating.

That’s the stitch behind this collaboration. And for us at Port City Apparel, it’s one of the most meaningful we’ve ever been a part of.