Rogue American

You may not be familiar with their story but you are more than likely familiar with their line of apparel. The company we are referring to is Rogue American Apparel based here in Austin, TX. First, we will familiarize you with their story and then we will fill you in on their retail store. Rogue American Apparel is a Veteran owned and operated company founded by a Marine in 2011. The founder's goal was to create an apparel line that embodies the warrior's spirit and their way of life. Their apparel, and the logos that they proudly display are geared towards veterans, soldiers, people in high risk jobs, adventure athletes, and people who take a stand for something they believe in. Their apparel may be considered on the fringe by some but then again these are not the type of people they are trying to cater to! One of my favorite slogans on their clothing is "Stand For Something"! Such a powerful message considering the times we live in.

A couple of weeks back we saw a post on Instagram that they have officially opened their first retail store here in our backyard of Austin, TX. As excited as we were we could not make it out due to celebrating Gene's birthday and competing in a two gun match. We did pass the word onto our local friends and a few of them got to check out the store before we did. Admittedly we were a little jealous. We were chomping at the bit to pay Rogue American a visit this past weekend, so we made sure to clear our schedule.

We knew this was the right store for us because as soon as we walked in we were greeted with a Hillary for Prison sign. The store is packed with apparel for both men and women. This includes hats, shirts, shorts, exercise apparel and accessories, wall art, and even Invader Coffee. Everything they sell has a unique look and feel. They are definitely not your typical apparel company and this is evident as soon as you walk into the store. From the thrash metal playing overhead to the Americana decorating almost every inch of the store [a lot of which has been donated by their loyal customers] you know you are a long way from your typical retail store.

We really didn't give ourselves enough time to take in the store itself and thoroughly shop through their selection. And of course their staff is so friendly it was inevitable that we would strike up conversations that slowed down my browsing which pleased Gene because it also slowed down my spending! Next time we are going to give ourselves time to at least have a cup of that delicious smelling coffee that they had at the counter. Another aspect to the store that is different but totally cool is they have an in-house tattoo artist ready for you to add some more ink to your collection.

I was totally psyched to do some shopping when we got there. I am assuming the staff member who was helping me had eaten her Wheaties because I had her running back and forth checking on sizes and she still wasn't exhausted. Maybe she was just hyped up on coffee! Overall she was just really cool! Once I was finally done I let Gene try a few things on. That was nice of me, huh? He was striking up a conversation with the tattoo artist about possibly getting some new ink that he has been wanting so I see us making that trip up there in the near future. At least I can shop and drink coffee while he gets the work done!

Remember, when you buy apparel from Rogue American you are not only supporting a veteran owned company, you are also supporting Americans because their clothes are made right here in the USA. We wish them all the best and will definitely become regulars at their store so I hope they are prepared for us! They are celebrating their 5 year anniversary this year and we know they will be around for many more years to come!