Guest post by Kristyn Boothe
Founded on the banks of Macon’s Ocmulgee River, Amerson Rock Outfitters is mixing local flavor into their clothing company. Owner Jesse Griffin, originally from Cordele, has only been in Macon since January but says he already feels a deep connection to the community.
“I fell in love with Macon very early on. The music history, the entrepreneurial spirit that lives here, and the wonderful people that put so much into helping this city continue to grow are what makes this such a great place to live,” said Griffin. “From the beginning, I felt like I was part of a big family here.”
When Griffin first moved to Macon, he explored the town and would grab a t-shirt from different local establishments as he made his grand tour of the city and its offerings. He soon acquired a nice collection of shirts from local restaurants and businesses.
“It was something I did for fun at first. Grabbed a t-shirt from H&H while at breakfast, one from Fresh Produce when I was buying records, and so on,” Griffin explained. “I think I have almost every awesome shirt that represents Macon and so I jokingly said to my girlfriend that we should just make our own. We threw around some ideas and the next thing I knew, we were moving forward and actually doing it.”
Griffin said that the name came easily to the pair when they started brainstorming.
“On one of our first dates we met at Amerson River Park and walked the trails and talked. At the end of our date, we ended up by the river on one of the big rocks. We sat there for an hour just talking and that was where we shared our first kiss,” Griffin explained. “It was such a special moment that we knew we had to incorporate it into our business, and so Amerson Rock was born.”
Amerson Rock launched its first two shirts at the end of June. The flagship shirt incorporates their love of nature and being outdoors with an acorn on the front and company logo on the back. In addition, they also released their Maconite line. This line will focus on the Macon community and things that represent not only the history of the people, but also the future of Macon.
Griffin has been involved in his family’s sawmill business in Cordele for the past 16 years, so diving into the retail clothing business was new territory for him. Yet his business experience and love for Macon have proven to be more than enough to make this new company a success in the short time they have been in business.
“We launched via social media a little over a week ago and have already had a lot of sales and a lot of people asking when we would be releasing our next shirts,” said Griffin. “We plan to release a couple new designs a month initially and will also be releasing a line of polo style shirts in the coming months. The possibilities are really endless and I couldn’t be more excited.”
Currently available for purchase exclusively on the Amerson Rock Outfitters Facebook page, Griffin hopes to partner with local shops to carry the brand in the upcoming weeks and possibly opening up a retail location sometime in the future.
For more information about Amerson Rock Outfitters, or to purchase shirts, check out the Amerson Rock Outfitters Facebook page.
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