Our Story. Our Legacy.
The Frye Legacy - Past, Present, Future
The Roots (1835-1920)
Walker Frye and Susan Waters began their journey in Culpeper, Virginia, where over half the population lived in bondage. Their escape was not just from place, but toward possibility—first to Washington D.C., then Boston, finally to Martha's Vineyard, where freedom could take root in island soil.
The Foundation (1920-1970)
George W. Frye's hands shaped more than leather and sole. For fifty years, his cobbler shop on Circuit Avenue shaped community—a place where stories were shared, dignity was honored, and Black excellence was simply normal. Every shoe he crafted carried the weight of dreams walking forward.
The Legacy Continues (Present)
Dr. Willease Story Sanders, Harvard-trained scholar who chose to serve HBCUs, showed us that excellence in service to community is its own form of resistance. Her path from academic achievement to ancestral dedication lights the way forward.
There comes a moment when the call of ancestry grows louder than the noise of the present world. For Walter Frye, that moment arrived not as gentle whisper, but as thunderous awakening.
The Origin of Inkwell Tides (2025)
After years navigating Wall Street's towers and corporate DEI corridors, Walter Frye found himself at the crossroads where many of us eventually stand—between the life we've built and the life that's been calling our name. When his role was eliminated during the tide of anti-DEI sentiment, what could have felt like ending revealed itself as beginning.
The call led him home, to Martha's Vineyard. To Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs, where his great-grandfather George W. Frye had opened his cobbler shop in 1920—one of the first Black-owned businesses on the island. For fifty years, that shop had been more than commerce; it had been community anchor, cultural cornerstone, proof of dignified presence.
Standing where George once stood, Walter understood: his legacy must be brought into being. InkWell Tides honors the past and designs the future.
Every Tide Carries a Story. Every Story Shapes the Future.
Meet the Founder
Walt Frye is the founder of Inkwell Tides, a heritage-driven lifestyle brand inspired by his family’s six-generation legacy in Oak Bluffs, on Martha’s Vineyard. Rooted in his great-grandfather’s 1920 cobbler shop, Inkwell Tides celebrates African-American pride, history, and belonging through fashion, media, and storytelling.
Walt launched the brand from a renewed realization that too many stories and traditions are being lost or erased, and that preserving heritage is essential to building stronger futures.
His personal journey—including the early loss of his grandfather, father, and brother, and his own prostate cancer experience—has deepened his commitment to a movement anchored in authenticity, resilience, and purpose.
With more than 25 years as a financial services and technology executive, Walt has held leadership roles at Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, Ally Financial, Fiserv, and most recently USAA, where he served as Assistant Vice President of Diversity and Belonging. He serves on the boards of the Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association (HBSAAA) and ZERO Prostate Cancer, where he chairs the Patients and Caregivers Advisory Board.
About Our Logo
Rooted in truth. Carried by tides.
Inkwell Tides exists to reclaim, preserve, and share the stories of our people—stories that flow from our past into the future, unbroken and unstoppable.
Sankofa Swan with Ink Pen Tip: The Sankofa bird, drawn from West African Adinkra symbolism, reminds us to go back and fetch what is valuable from the past. The droplet in its beak represents knowledge, truth, and heritage being carried forward.
Its legs transform into a fountain pen nib—signifying authorship, storytelling, and the recording of history. The ink pen nib also represents that Black excellence can be written or expressed in many forms. We "ink well"—as a verb—through the excellence of our work, our resilience, our resistance, and our aspirations to elevate our culture and our people.
Wave Motif: The waves below the bird evoke the ocean tides of Oak Bluffs and Inkwell Beach. They symbolize movement, migration, and resilience—an unending flow that connects the African diaspora across time and geography.
Circular Seal Design: The encompassing circle represents unity, continuity, and the unbroken chain of heritage. The seal format signals authenticity, trust, and timeless value, grounding Inkwell Tides as a heritage brand with staying power.