Fine Southern Gentlemen has become a staple of Austin, Texas by bringing the good goods. To call them a clothing print company is like saying Dolly Parton is a decent performer. Fine Southern Gentlemen is so much more. Their team is made of up of some of the finest and kindest ladies and gentlemen you'll ever meet, and their commitment to the Austin community and philanthropy is unparalleled. Justin Weems, Founder of Fine Southern Gentlemen, sat down with Shock the Vote ATX to answer some shocking questions and show love to some of FSG's favorite Austin creators. (Get our exclusive Shock the Vote ATX merch from the FSG store right now.) What does Fine Southern Gentlemen do?
FSG does whatever we think will be fun. We specialize in custom printing but also have a full retail line and physical store as well as act as a marketplace for artists all over the world. During non-pandemic times, we are out doing live printing events, hosting performances at the shop, and throwing vendor markets. Currently, we've moved to a fundraising and fulfillment role for a lot of local businesses and are still trying to keep the music alive with live streaming performances. Why do you love Austin?
I came from a really small town of 30,000 people and the only way to find something to do there was to create it. Austin is constantly changing, some for the best and some for the worst but there's no shortage of things to do. Live music has always been pretty important to me even though I essentially stopped playing when I moved her. The amount of talented musicians that I've grown to know here has been great. It's still a tough market but it's cool to see some new folks breakthrough from Austin lately. I feel like you can kind of do what you want here. There's enough community behind each niche thing that everyone has the opportunity to be successful and do something they love doing. It's not as cutthroat as say New York or Los Angeles.
Why do you vote? (If you do. If not, that's okay.)
Why the Hell not? I think most of us want to see some change and voting is the pathway towards that. We can sit and post on social media all day about how everything sucks but you have to cast that ballot to actually do something about it.
Who is one of your favorite Austin entertainment group?
I'm a little biased because I work with these guys, but JD Clark and The Stuck in the Mud Band are great. Like a throwback to 90's country that I really enjoy. Also the band Rattlesnake Milk. They're standouts because you don't really hear anything like them. We work with a lot of creatives and I'd have to say that I'm extremely proud of all of the work that the people in our shop pull off. But I feel like Flavors Creative Group is really leading the way with creating and manufacturing some great fashion pieces. I wish I had that talent.
Who's your favorite Austin business or restaurant ?
Parts & Labour is definitely one of my favorites. They gave me my start here over 13 years ago and are probably the only reason we kept it going in the beginning. Also, Hotel Vegas. I've spent countless nights there, made plenty of lifelong friends there and they took a chance on letting me and my buddy get back into music there.
Who's your favorite non-profit organization in Austin?
I really like Moblie Loaves and Fishes. I've gone and toured the facilities and they're really making strides to get the homeless population back on their feet by learning trades and providing shelter.
What's your favorite Halloween treat?
Miniature Reese's, no question. Support Fine Southern Gentlemen (do it now!) at finesoutherngentlemen.com.