Have you had lunch, dinner, or cocktails at The Station in Downtown Raleigh? Did you notice the totally casual but totally appropriate for the neighborhood t-shirts that the staff was wearing? That’s one of the first places I really noticed Porch Fly Clothing’s local to Raleigh line of tees for both men and women, so when I invited the apparel company’s co-owner Josh to grab an afternoon cocktail to talk about his business, it was naturally the perfect destination.
-
- Josh and Bryant from Porch Fly Clothing
-
- Celebrating the front porch lifestyle
-
- Porch Fly Clothing
-
- Porch Fly Clothing
Porch Fly Clothing co-owners Josh Gruder and his partner Bryant Szabo call Raleigh home now, but it’s Josh’s experience down in post-Katrina New Orleans that provided the inspiration to title the apparel brand “Porch Fly”. Over a Johnnie Walker Black on the rocks (for Josh) and a Ketel and water (mine), Josh told me that after Hurricane Katrina when much of New Orleans was still flood-damaged and reconstruction had just begun, the front porch once again became the place where people would come together and hang out, eventually being dubbed “porch flies”.
But before New Orleans, and after studying advertising in college, Josh’s background is even more experienced than graphic design and t-shirt production: he spent some time as a Department of Defense contractor. So from advertising student, to DoD contractor, to deep south porch fly, to current day apparel brand owners, Porch Fly is inspired by Josh and Bryant’s life experiences and adaptations on Raleigh’s always evolving culture.
-
- Porch Fly Whisk-Key tee for men
-
- Porch Fly for him
-
- Porch Fly for her
-
- Porch Fly tees for guys and gals
Josh was so kind as to hook me up with a women’s Porch Fly Whisk-Key tee – great play on words with my favorite fall dark liquor of choice – and it’s a go-to in my casual wardrobe these days. The description of “ultra-soft tri-blend material” is spot on and the recommendation to “Tailored fit, size up for looser fit” is appropriate if you don’t prefer a more fitted, feminine look. But I do. So for my 5’2″, 110 lbs build, the small was a great fit.
-
- ‘Tis the season for front porch sittin’ with friends
-
- Porch Fly features crew neck, tanks, and v-neck tees for ladies
-
- Celebrate the Raleigh lifestyle with front porch friends
-
- Porch Fly features crew neck, tanks, and v-neck tees for ladies
PS: Did you happen to attend Shop Local Raleigh’s Boutique Blowout event in August? The Porch Fly booth was setup right next to iHeartRetail.com, so there’s a good chance you met Josh from Porch Fly there or at any of the other Downtown Raleigh events that invite local vendors to sell their goods. Props to Josh and Bryant for joining Shop Local Raleigh and supporting fellow local businesses.
PS #2: Porch Fly Clothing has partnered with Botanical PaperWorks to deliver a biodegradable plantable eco-paper that is made with post-consumer materials embedded with wildflower seeds. When you plant our tags in a pot of soil, the tag will grow into colorful wildflowers! Maybe right around your front porch? How’s that for full circle?
Shop the men’s and women’s collections at http://porchfly.com/.
- Cary Academy’s Holiday Shoppe Announces 2022 Spring Event - February 27, 2022
- Get the Gift of Local Shopping When You Read Local - June 2, 2021
- After Christmas Sale Round-Up - December 28, 2017
Speak Your Mind