Why the weird name?

Because of one very specific seat at Fenway Park.

Our namesake is the lone red seat in the right-field bleachers: Section 42, Row 37, Seat 21. If you’ve ever looked out across all that Fenway green and wondered why exactly one seat is bright red, here you go.

Why is there one red seat at Fenway Park?

On June 9, 1946, Ted Williams launched a home run into the right-field bleachers that was officially measured at 502 feet, the longest home run ever measured at Fenway Park. The ball landed at Section 42, Row 37, Seat 21, where it reportedly punched through fan Joseph Boucher’s straw hat and hit him in the head. Not exactly the Fenway souvenir he had in mind.

In 1984, that seat was painted red to mark the spot. It has been sitting there ever since, all by itself in a sea of green.

Was Ted Williams’ home run really 502 feet?

Here’s where it gets even better: maybe not.

In 2024, MLB took another look at the famous 502-foot home run using modern ballpark measurements and home-run tracking methods. The actual distance from home plate to the seat is closer to 496 feet. But today, home runs are measured by where the ball would have landed at ground level, not where it first hit something.

By that standard, Williams’ blast may have traveled something like 525 to 530 feet, or possibly even farther. So the legendary 502-foot home run may actually be underselling it. Very Ted Williams.

So why call our shop The Red Seat?

Because that seat is basically Fenway Park in one object: old, specific, a little weird, loaded with history, and impossible to miss once you know what you’re looking at.

The Red Seat is for Boston sports fans who know the references, remember the ridiculous moments, and understand why one random red seat surrounded by thousands of green ones matters. That felt like a pretty good thing to build a company around.

Also, Section 42, Row 37, Seat 21 would have been a terrible store name.