Go on a treasure-hunting adventure (no, really) with Greenie Supply & Tackle’s Treasure Maps
(Photo: Petite North Fork)
With a mission statement like “Change Your Day Forever,” you might expect big things from Greenie Supply & Tackle’s Treasure Maps — a big reveal, something momentous or remarkable, but you probably wouldn’t assume that it’s actually the tiny moments of working together, counting steps collectively out loud, and wide-eyed excitement from those you love that would be the reasons why the memories stick, really changing your day forever.
As a longtime fan and Greenie’s treasure hunter, I caught up with Bill Moulton, a Greenport-based brand and advertising creative and the founder of Greenie Supply & Tackle, to learn more about why he creates these adventure maps.
Q: Tell Petite North Fork readers what Greenie Supply & Tackle is.
Bill: Greenie is a purveyor of the nautical imagination — making things to spark wonder in the realm of maritime culture.
Greenie is about a place I experienced as a kid — old fishing reels, driftwood forts, shell collecting, clamming with your foot, swimming in the creek inlets at dusk, rusty garden sheds, making art for no reason, being wild and getting lost. It’s what I feel from this place, and I hope to share that with others. I do this with the maps, photographs, drawings, films, stories, and found objects.
Our physical storefront is a vending machine where we sell handmade treasure maps that lead to real buried treasures around the North Fork.
Q: When did you first come up with the treasure map idea?
Bill: I was interested in the idea of products you could only purchase by using a treasure map to retrieve them. But I wasn’t sure how to go about it. One day I saw an old candy machine for sale and thought it would be a fun, mysterious way to invite people into an imagined world — where you are purchasing an experience rather than a physical product. And the experience starts at the machine. It began as an art experiment that kind of just kept going.
(Photo: Petite North Fork)
Q: Why did you create the maps?
Bill: It’s a creative outlet for me that goes beyond the commercial creative work I do for a living. I’m using the same skills and tools used for developing a brand — but applying them to something completely uncommercial. It’s how I communicate to the outside world, and I love the interactions and feedback I get from people when they feel joy or a jolt of imagination from the experience.
The goal is to address a universal need — in this case, the need to break away from our routine lives and feel a sense of adventure. If only for an hour. Get outside and live. Drop everything and search for buried treasure. That’s why the mission statement is ‘Change Your Day Forever’.
Q: How do you go about selecting a treasure location?
Bill: It has to be a beautiful or interesting walk. Somewhat wild. They’re often places I discovered while fishing.
Q: What makes the treasure maps a fun thing to do for families of all ages?
Bill: Adventure lives within all of us. Even the olds.
Q: What can people do if they're feeling stumped by a clue?
Bill: There is a ‘Hints’ page on the Greenie Supply website that provides visual help. And there’s also a ‘Reveal’ link if you are totally stumped and still want to make it feel like you figured it out for everybody else.
(Photo: Petite North Fork)
Q: How often do you release the maps?
Bill: I try to release maps once a month in the summer. But it’s admittedly sporadic, as it is a labor of love. Sometimes I keep it rolling through the fall, and I’ve dropped a few in the depths of winter. I always post to the Instagram account when I’m launching new maps.
Q: Are there any rules or suggestions for treasure hunters?
Bill: Be kind. Only take one thing and leave the rest for others. Always rebury the box to keep it going. And if you take the whole box, you will be cursed for eternity — no, seriously. Your conscience will haunt you.
To purchase the latest treasure map, head to the old waterfront fishing station at Port of Egypt Marine in Southold, where you’ll find the map vending machine tucked under an awning. Maps cost $5 and can currently be purchased by credit card.
You’ll want to bring a shovel, compass, and have some knowledge of the North Fork, though you won’t be judged if you must use one of Moulton’s Hints.