Why We Chose to Carry VeeFriends at Izzi's Gym We recently started stocking VeeFriends at Izzi's Gym — and I want to explain the thinking behind it, because it goes deeper than just carrying a popular product. VeeFriends is Gary Vaynerchuk character universe. 268 original characters — Patient Pig, Eager Eagle, Empathetic Elephant — each named for a positive human trait, each hand-drawn by Gary himself. What started as an NFT project in 2021 has expanded into trading cards, a competitive TCG, an animated series on YouTube Kids, children's books, merchandise, and an annual conference (VeeCon) that draws thousands of attendees. Gary describes it as "Pokémon meets Sesame Street." The collectibility and rarity of Pokémon. The values-driven storytelling and cultural longevity of Sesame Street. He's said publicly this is a 40-year project — and he means it. The reason we carry it comes down to who Gary Vaynerchuk is and what he stands for. My late father immigrated to the United States from Lebanon. I know the immigrant work ethic from the inside — the sacrifice, the pressure, the belief that if you outwork everyone around you, you can build something real. When Gary talks about what drove his family from Belarus to build something in America, that's not inspiration for me. That's familiarity. The Hamze family are serial entrepreneurs. I believe deeply that everyone, at some point in their life, should start something. Gary's message aligns with that belief more than almost any other brand voice in this space. We stock what we respect. VeeFriends is on our shelves because we believe in the man building it.