Keep it local

​by Gritter Griffin

Local - belonging or relating to a particular area or neighborhood.

Patrick Stamps and David Faulkenberry are local to somewhere too. But they do “local” a little differently than you may think. These guys are determined to be local – Everywhere!

I know it sounds a little strange because we usually think of local as just that - local. Patrick and David have taken the stance that everyone and everything is local somewhere, but they want their brand, Local Boy Outfitters, to be local everywhere. To that end they customize their line of clothing to any area in the country to represent local pride, local industry, and local history.

These guys have been friends since childhood. They grew up together in South Carolina going to school, playing sports, and enjoying all things outdoors. Most importantly, though, they discovered the value of hard work.

They were taught that local businesses were the lifeblood of any community. They learned that shopping and buying local was one of the most important things you could do for your community and it became a way of life for them.

For several years Patrick was a heavy equipment operator and David was working in his family’s offset printing business. Somewhere along the way these lifelong friends made the decision to work together in the clothing business.

Initially they were going to be a brick and mortar store and sell multiple brands of clothing. They rented space in a warehouse that backed up to the South Carolina University baseball stadium and sold their clothing products during baseball games.

Over many weeks and many beverages, they discussed the idea of a name for their clothing sales and branding. The name – Local Boy Outfitters - was the easy part. They had long recognized the simple truth that everyone is local to somewhere.

The logo took a little longer. A lot longer actually.

They wanted their logo to be simple but meaningful. It needed to represent a way of life, of community, of camaraderie. They both liked the idea of including a dog. Nearly everyone loves dogs and can relate to one or more sometime in their life. It’s kind of like being local; nearly everyone can relate to that too.

When they had the logo worked out, they printed some T shirts, pushed their logo, had some success, and pretty quickly realized that people liked their name and logo better than the other brands they were selling.

This was the sentinel moment in their lives and their business when they realized that they needed to be their own brand and represent something more than a name.

These guys want to represent a lifestyle.

They started with quality polos and pants at good prices and went to work creating brand recognition. They didn’t have the luxury of a big cash influx to get them started. They did it all by building on sweat equity.

They educated themselves, learned the manufacturing and logistics of the clothing business, and along the way began to come up with unique ideas to promote their brand.

They started in 2013 but it was 2015 before they “got it right” and really began to build the brand. With David as the detail guy and Patrick as the front man, doing the talk and walking the walk, they began to make progress.

They traveled to Baton Rouge to a Junior League Show and did very well. After that it was show after show to get their name and product line out there. And it worked.

Their basic philosophy and business model was pretty simple really. They wanted to produce excellent clothing and sell it at a price that everyone could afford. This way, they thought, a customer could buy two or three pairs of slacks at $60 instead of one (of the same quality) at $90 - $110.

They would later describe their strategy as “not being greedy or speedy” but doing whatever it takes to make the plan happen.

For the first few years these guys were not only diligently pushing their brand but both were still working at their “day jobs”. Patrick for himself and David with his family.

When Patrick was asked what line of work he was in before Local Boy he replied with a grin, “I was running skidders and dozers, and backhoes. I have no idea how I wound up selling clothes”.

Besides teaming up with local schools to create clothing that represents the school image and logo, they have plans to team up with charter boat captains and other companies to develop a line of clothing these captains and companies can use to promote their businesses. What better way to get a name in front of the right people than great shirts and hats emblazoned with logos prominently displaying their own business.

The trail to success hasn’t been a smooth one for these local boys. Patrick and David credit their wives – both have wives named Stacey by the way – with much of their success.

They both agree that it is the “Staceys” that have been the rock they depended on to maintain the home front while they were on the road week after week. They both agree that the challenges and difficulties they encountered would have seemed much more daunting were it not for the fact that their wives and families collectively believed in what these guys were doing and felt it was special. Their friends and their community were also very supportive and rallied behind them all the way
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Lifelong friends. An idea. Belief. Boots on the ground. Hard work. Perseverance. Success.
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You know what local really is? Local is fun. Local is friends. Local is family. Local is community.
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That’s what these two guys and Local Boy Outfitters are all about.….. Home!