Like most small businesses, River Road Clothing started as something very different. In fact, we weren’t even called River Road Clothing until fairly recently. Let’s rewind back ten years. Our founder Johanna McShan was a professional photographer (and gifted artist) who had a keen eye for graphic design. Armed with a degree in graphic design from Texas State University, she entered the workforce looking to make her own path.
As a free-thinking artist, Johanna knew she wanted to work for herself on projects she cared about rather than join the marketing team of some big company (as so many of her classmates were doing). Initially, doing photography was an easy way to work for herself while still having flexibility in her time for her family, which includes a husband and three always-on-the-go kids.
An Entrepreneurial Mindset Set Ablaze By One Creative Spark
One day, a greeting card design challenge arose from the online stationery and design powerhouse minted.com. Johanna’s mind immediately began to race with inspiration for Texas-inspired greeting cards, which snowballed into an avalanche of Texas-inspired EVERYTHING ideas. Growing up in the suburbs of Houston, Johanna was raised to be proud of her Texas heritage. Her family traced their lineage directly to Charles Goodnight, the father of the Texas panhandle. Like so many in this state, she longed to find a way to share her love of Texas with the world. This was the beginning of River Road.
Initially, Johanna wanted to focus on children’s t-shirts and hats only. However, the positive response to her launch quickly expanded her vision. Only a week into sales, she fielded an overwhelming number of requests for the same designs in adult sizes too. People loved the quality of her shirts and were envious of the funky designs only available for their children. As a result, River Road became a growing flame that’s only gotten bigger since.
Texas Business Relationships Help Sales Soar
Beyond her online sales and loyal social media following, Johanna made relationships with many organizations around Texas to offer her apparel to their customers or visitors.
River Road Clothing now works in association with:
- Don’t Mess with Texas
- Wurstfest
- Natural Bridge Caverns
- T Bar M
- Gruene Hall
- Cities Across the State of Texas
More Than Just Texas-Inspired Hats & Shirts
The team at River Road Clothing is constantly developing new design inspiration to give our customers a fresh variety of gear to show their love and pride for Texas. While the plan may have started with just t-shirts and hats, we knew it wasn’t going to end there. When the crowd cheers for more, you give them more!
Our designs now come in:
- Stickers & Pins
- Flags (seen all over New Braunfels)
- Koozies
- Drinkware
- Wurstfest Gear
Thank you for visiting riverroadclothing.com and learning more about our story. We sincerely appreciate the support we receive from our customers and fans (even the ones who aren’t Texans).
And for those visiting our great state, check out this article for a little guide on exploring our Texas heritage.
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Texas Pride Woven Into Every River Road Clothing Design