Few states have as much state pride as Ohio. And it’s not just football – Ohioans are very proud of where they came from. Most people consider the Midwest to be “flyover” states with very little appeal to them. That is, unless you are from the great state of Ohio, then pride oozes out of every ounce of your being.
Andrea and Nate Archibald recognized this, and opened a local consignment shop in July 2012. Their shop, Simply Vague, has grown into three locations (Polaris Fashion Place, The Mall at Tuttle Crossing, and Kenwood Towne Centre in Cincinnati) where local vendors sell Ohio pride apparel, accessories, and home accents made by local vendors. In January 2016 they launched an apparel line, designed by the couple and printed locally, called The Direction.
As the trend of state pride spread throughout the nation, the Archibalds quickly realized their apparel line was limited. Specifically, they noticed customers in their Cincinnati location looking for Kentucky and Indiana apparel. They began offering state pride items for those two states in that location.
Another limitation the couple recognized about their Simply Vague stores, while they are great for the quaint-local feel, they could not offer an online store. Because the store was on consignment and the vendors sold their own merchandise in the store, it was difficult to offer variations of items, or offer online shopping. The Archibalds combined this notion with their idea of expanding the apparel line to offer more states and out came their new store: The Direction.
Located in the new Tanger Outlet Mall in Sunbury, The Direction will open on June 24th. The Direction offers apparel (tees, tanks, sweats, hats, socks) and accessories (bags and jewelry) that represent state pride. Their goal in this store was to offer every state the chance to celebrate their pride in the same way Ohio does. Their online shop for The Direction store offers their apparel designs in all states.
For more information, visit www.shopthedirection.com and www.tangeroutlet.com/columbus.
