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Houndstooth Clothing Co. Marks 30 Years in Business
with Anniversary Party on Saturday, Oct. 22 in Fayetteville
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. (October 12, 2022) — Houndstooth Clothing Co. is marking 30 years in business by throwing an anniversary party for the community with food and drinks, live music, a photo booth, door prizes and of course screen-printing demonstrations, including a station where guests can “print their own” shirts. The FREE event will be held from 5-9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 22 at the Houndstooth Headquarters, 632 E. 15th St., in Fayetteville. (See additional Event Details at the end of this release.)
The event’s signature cocktail is “The Ninety-Two” – a nod to 1992, the year the company started as a one-man shop in a storefront on Block Avenue near the downtown square. Last year, the company printed more than 50,000 shirts, and it’s on pace to have the most profitable consecutive years in the history of the company.
Michael Baker, founder of this homegrown business, was 25 when he opened the small shop with no business plan and no capital. The Arkansas native who grew up in Springdale had a degree in architecture and an eye for design. But his professional outlook wasn’t entirely clear at the time.
“I had a strong desire to go down the career path less traveled. I fell in love with the screen-printing process and never looked back,” Baker said. “I found out early on that this was my calling, and piece by piece, year by year, the brand began to carve a niche. Now 30 years later, I still wake up every day grateful to be a traveler on this road.”
In the early years, Baker designed and printed all the company’s products himself. Back then, he had an Americana theme in mind – with merchandise featuring vintage baseball, American flags, black Labrador retrievers, and other classic themes with broad appeal. He also wanted to celebrate the unique character of Fayetteville and instill some hometown pride, so all those early designs also said “Fayetteville, Arkansas.” The company continues to carry designs from those earliest days with its legacy line of merchandise.
They were a bit ahead of the time with some design themes, such as the first series of outdoor lifestyle themed shirts in the 1990s, which at the time weren’t the most popular. Flash-forward a couple of decades, and the Ozark themed designs highlighting outdoor recreation and the region are now extremely popular.
“We love the challenge of connecting with our customers through the shared language of what it means to live in this special place,”
Baker said.
Once the company became licensed with the University of Arkansas in 2000 to produce and sell official Razorback clothing, its merchandise offerings expanded to a range of U of A and Razorbacks pieces. Adding the U of A merchandise to the offerings helped with a goal at the time of increasing overall sales. Though it remains an important part of the business and is another opportunity to connect with customers, they try to focus on shirt designs that have longevity and the potential to become classics.
“When I started Houndstooth, I was driven to find a way to spend every possible minute being creative,” Baker said. “That is still what satisfies me 30 years later, but the bonus is that I get to work with people who are far more talented and creative than I am. Our team inspires me every day to be better at what I do.”
The success of the company is measured as a team, Baker said. And he has built and developed that team in a big way over the past 30 years. In that time, the company has grown to include five retail locations, all in Arkansas, plus an online store, currently with more than 50 employees.
In addition to the original brick-and-mortar location on Block Avenue, other stores are located at the Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville, Central Mall in Fort Smith, Pinnacle Hills Promenade in Rogers and Promenade at Chenal in Little Rock.
People are the core of their business, Baker said, and taking care of their customers is just as important as taking care of the company’s associates. As the leader, he strives to provide an environment where associates feel valued and that they are treated fairly and are respected. He estimates that the company has had more than 1,000 associates in its 30 years, including retail store associates, with many of those staying just a few years. Four current employees have been there longer — Justin Brasher, Production Manager, with 15 years; Kristin Loman, Creative Director, with 10 years; Anna Morrison, COO, who is in her fifth year leading daily operations; and Mellisa Hawes, Custom Sales Manager, who is also in her fifth year with the company.
“The challenge of operating a small business is a 24/7 proposition. Sometimes difficult, sometimes exhilarating, but never boring,” Baker said. “In the end, it’s the people that make or break a company. We don’t exist without our customers and without our employees, simple as that.”
In 2007, the company moved its headquarters — with administration, design, custom sales, warehouse, and production services — to the 15th Street location. They’ve had three major screen print production renovations since in 2009, 2015 and earlier this year in 2022, as well as a major office renovation in 2018. These reinvestments in the production end of the business focused mainly on acquiring the best equipment so they could produce the best product.
Baker is very involved on the retail side of the business and still does T-shirt design for retail and merchandise stores. He also helps with inventory management and tries to help his team problem-solve with whatever issues arise.
With the internet also allowing connections to customers across the country and even the world, the company has also expanded its services to meet a range of needs – such as custom screen printing, design, and embroidery services. Though their clientele base has broadened, Baker said the company’s first priority will always be local.
“As most small business owners will tell you, if this gig were about getting rich, I would have quit a long time ago. But there is so much more to life than numbers on paper, and the quality of my personal and professional lives cannot be measured,” Baker said. “Fayetteville and the Northwest Arkansas region is a unique and wonderful place, and as a business owner, parent, and citizen, I owe this community everything.”
As part of the company’s 30th anniversary celebration, they will donate a portion of all retail sales during the month of October to the Yvonne Richardson Community Center in Fayetteville.
Additional information available at www.houndstoothcelebrates.com.
ANNIVERSARY EVENT DETAILS:
What: Houndstooth Clothing Co. 30th Anniversary Party
Where: Houndstooth Headquarters, 632 E. 15th Street, Fayetteville, AR
When: 5-9 p.m. Saturday, October 22
Cost: Free
Activities: Travel & Tap mobile bar & photo booth, and live music!
Food and drinks: Including a Taco Bar, local beer and seltzer, other beer, wine, and a signature cocktail “The Ninety-Two”
Other: Free anniversary merchandise; door prizes, giveaways, and kids’ activities; screen-printing demonstrations with a “print your own shirt” station (all free!)
More Info: Visit www.houndstoothcelebrates.com for more event details.
with Anniversary Party on Saturday, Oct. 22 in Fayetteville
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. (October 12, 2022) — Houndstooth Clothing Co. is marking 30 years in business by throwing an anniversary party for the community with food and drinks, live music, a photo booth, door prizes and of course screen-printing demonstrations, including a station where guests can “print their own” shirts. The FREE event will be held from 5-9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 22 at the Houndstooth Headquarters, 632 E. 15th St., in Fayetteville. (See additional Event Details at the end of this release.)
The event’s signature cocktail is “The Ninety-Two” – a nod to 1992, the year the company started as a one-man shop in a storefront on Block Avenue near the downtown square. Last year, the company printed more than 50,000 shirts, and it’s on pace to have the most profitable consecutive years in the history of the company.
Michael Baker, founder of this homegrown business, was 25 when he opened the small shop with no business plan and no capital. The Arkansas native who grew up in Springdale had a degree in architecture and an eye for design. But his professional outlook wasn’t entirely clear at the time.
“I had a strong desire to go down the career path less traveled. I fell in love with the screen-printing process and never looked back,” Baker said. “I found out early on that this was my calling, and piece by piece, year by year, the brand began to carve a niche. Now 30 years later, I still wake up every day grateful to be a traveler on this road.”
In the early years, Baker designed and printed all the company’s products himself. Back then, he had an Americana theme in mind – with merchandise featuring vintage baseball, American flags, black Labrador retrievers, and other classic themes with broad appeal. He also wanted to celebrate the unique character of Fayetteville and instill some hometown pride, so all those early designs also said “Fayetteville, Arkansas.” The company continues to carry designs from those earliest days with its legacy line of merchandise.
They were a bit ahead of the time with some design themes, such as the first series of outdoor lifestyle themed shirts in the 1990s, which at the time weren’t the most popular. Flash-forward a couple of decades, and the Ozark themed designs highlighting outdoor recreation and the region are now extremely popular.
“We love the challenge of connecting with our customers through the shared language of what it means to live in this special place,”
Baker said.
Once the company became licensed with the University of Arkansas in 2000 to produce and sell official Razorback clothing, its merchandise offerings expanded to a range of U of A and Razorbacks pieces. Adding the U of A merchandise to the offerings helped with a goal at the time of increasing overall sales. Though it remains an important part of the business and is another opportunity to connect with customers, they try to focus on shirt designs that have longevity and the potential to become classics.
“When I started Houndstooth, I was driven to find a way to spend every possible minute being creative,” Baker said. “That is still what satisfies me 30 years later, but the bonus is that I get to work with people who are far more talented and creative than I am. Our team inspires me every day to be better at what I do.”
The success of the company is measured as a team, Baker said. And he has built and developed that team in a big way over the past 30 years. In that time, the company has grown to include five retail locations, all in Arkansas, plus an online store, currently with more than 50 employees.
In addition to the original brick-and-mortar location on Block Avenue, other stores are located at the Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville, Central Mall in Fort Smith, Pinnacle Hills Promenade in Rogers and Promenade at Chenal in Little Rock.
People are the core of their business, Baker said, and taking care of their customers is just as important as taking care of the company’s associates. As the leader, he strives to provide an environment where associates feel valued and that they are treated fairly and are respected. He estimates that the company has had more than 1,000 associates in its 30 years, including retail store associates, with many of those staying just a few years. Four current employees have been there longer — Justin Brasher, Production Manager, with 15 years; Kristin Loman, Creative Director, with 10 years; Anna Morrison, COO, who is in her fifth year leading daily operations; and Mellisa Hawes, Custom Sales Manager, who is also in her fifth year with the company.
“The challenge of operating a small business is a 24/7 proposition. Sometimes difficult, sometimes exhilarating, but never boring,” Baker said. “In the end, it’s the people that make or break a company. We don’t exist without our customers and without our employees, simple as that.”
In 2007, the company moved its headquarters — with administration, design, custom sales, warehouse, and production services — to the 15th Street location. They’ve had three major screen print production renovations since in 2009, 2015 and earlier this year in 2022, as well as a major office renovation in 2018. These reinvestments in the production end of the business focused mainly on acquiring the best equipment so they could produce the best product.
Baker is very involved on the retail side of the business and still does T-shirt design for retail and merchandise stores. He also helps with inventory management and tries to help his team problem-solve with whatever issues arise.
With the internet also allowing connections to customers across the country and even the world, the company has also expanded its services to meet a range of needs – such as custom screen printing, design, and embroidery services. Though their clientele base has broadened, Baker said the company’s first priority will always be local.
“As most small business owners will tell you, if this gig were about getting rich, I would have quit a long time ago. But there is so much more to life than numbers on paper, and the quality of my personal and professional lives cannot be measured,” Baker said. “Fayetteville and the Northwest Arkansas region is a unique and wonderful place, and as a business owner, parent, and citizen, I owe this community everything.”
As part of the company’s 30th anniversary celebration, they will donate a portion of all retail sales during the month of October to the Yvonne Richardson Community Center in Fayetteville.
Additional information available at www.houndstoothcelebrates.com.
ANNIVERSARY EVENT DETAILS:
What: Houndstooth Clothing Co. 30th Anniversary Party
Where: Houndstooth Headquarters, 632 E. 15th Street, Fayetteville, AR
When: 5-9 p.m. Saturday, October 22
Cost: Free
Activities: Travel & Tap mobile bar & photo booth, and live music!
Food and drinks: Including a Taco Bar, local beer and seltzer, other beer, wine, and a signature cocktail “The Ninety-Two”
Other: Free anniversary merchandise; door prizes, giveaways, and kids’ activities; screen-printing demonstrations with a “print your own shirt” station (all free!)
More Info: Visit www.houndstoothcelebrates.com for more event details.