How We Started

Way back in the spring of 2000, A friend of mine gave me a catalogue of something called "BEATLEFEST". It was a magazine that was page after page of BEATLES items. There were T-Shirts, Ties, Books, Cd's, VHS, DVD and anything and everything you could imagine that was Beatles related. By the way, My name is Bob Belive.

Also in this catalogue was the announcement of a Festival at The New Jersey Meadowlands Hotel that was going on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I was running my Video store at the time and my partner who was the bass player in my band wasn't interested in going because he would be coming back from his honeymoon and be driving up form Washington DC that weekend. I tried to persuade him it was on the way, but it didn't happen.

I thought of asking my wife Ellie to go with me, but she really wasn't much of a fan, and besides to make a 5 hour round trip on a Sunday had very little appeal to her. I really wanted to go, but not by myself.

So, Ellie said to me, "Why don't you call up your cousin Rocky and see if he would want to go" We really hadn't kept in touch but I thought I would ask him anyway. So I reluctantly made the phone call expecting another "NO THANKS" and Rocky said, "I'd Love To Go". I was speechless for a few seconds, but that quickly went away and we drove down to the Meadowlands for our first Beatlefest in March 2000.

We were overwhelmed when we got there. We had never seen so much Beatles Merchandise in our entire lives. We were like kids in a candy store. Except, of course, it was one sided. I was buying T-shirts, sweatshirts, ties and some books, while Rocky, or "El Cheapo" as I referred to him was not buying anything.

He was going to buy something for his daughter Emily and asked me what her size was. I had no idea. I was getting very irritated at him for not only being cheap, but not knowing his own daughters size. Then he goes to me, "Bob, where are the mugs?" I was really hot this time and said, "How would I know? Where do you think you are anyway, DISNEYWORLD?" That question started a unique chain of events.

We attended several more Beatlefests in New Jersey and Boston and we still didn't see any Beatles mugs that we would buy. So for Rocky's 50th birthday party, I was frantic making phone calls trying to get someone to make a couple of mugs for me with a Beatles Album Cover. I finally connected, and on the morning of his party I called hem and said, "After I give you your birthday gift, you're going to be up all night thinking about it. I had two mugs made, "With The Beatles" and "A Hard Days Night" from CD Covers. When I got them home, I didn't know which one to give to him because they were both so beautiful. I ended up keeping "With The Beatles" and gave Rocky the "Hard Days Night". He called me in the morning saying he was up all night staring at the mug. This single event created BEATMUGS.

For the first time ever Beatles Album Cover Coffee mugs for "FANS DESIGNED BY FANS" Rocky and Bob wanted to see mugs that they would buy, and there were none.

So, they Got a license from Apple Corps Ltd and designed Mugs with you, the "Real Fan" in mind

Thanks,
Rock & Bob