About Us

Two Dogs and a Dream

In 2023, everything I knew fell apart. I was 40, starting over, and had no idea what came next. What I did have was two basset hounds named Ozzie and Charlie, a lifelong love of design, and a stubborn feeling that I was supposed to build something of my own.

So I did.

I started with t-shirts. Just simple designs inspired by Ozzie and Charlie because they were the best thing in my life and I wanted to make something that reflected that. I had been designing things since high school. Screen printing, logos, websites. It was always there, always on the side, always waiting for the right moment.

Then I found wrapping paper. And everything changed.

What started as Christmas dog prints turned into something I couldn't stop. Spooky designs, florals, cryptids, gag gifts, things nobody else was making because nobody else thought to. Every design came from the same place: if it made me smile, I made it.

The name Ninth Year came from Charlie, who was nine years old when this all began. It felt like the perfect name for a fresh start. Not year one. Year nine. Because everything that came before still matters. It all led here.

Nearly two years and over a thousand orders later, I still design every product myself. I still pack the gratitude into every order. I still let Ozzie and Charlie supervise from the couch. This brand was built from nothing but two dogs, a dream, and the belief that doing what you love is always worth the risk.

If you're reading this and you've got your own dream sitting on the shelf, take this as your sign. Start. It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be yours.