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Local retailer celebrates 30 years in business
When he was in high school, Billy Webster took a small piece of technology and eventually grew it into his own business that is still very much alive 30 years later.
The long-time Fort Scott resident is the owner of Shirt Shack Jeanswear, a screen printing business located at 11 E. 18th St., that opened in 1976. Webster and his staff are currently celebrating the 30th year of serving local customers.
Webster, who graduated from Fort Scott High School in the 1970s, said a friend of his at the time was using a heat machine to transfer different images and artwork onto T-shirts, which eventually became hot selling items all across the country. Webster, who had always dreamed of owning his own clothing store, worked various jobs and eventually began selling car wax at car shows, where he soon began selling this new creation -- T-shirts with images, designs and words printed on them.
Webster said he missed a lot of school while pursuing his dream.
"Teachers knew I wasn't going to be in school on Friday because I did all of these car shows," he said. "T-shirts weren't that popular in the '70s. Actually, they were kind of hard to get."
In 1976, Webster rented a small building on the south side of Fort Scott that still houses the current store. The old 10-by-12 building previously operated as a beauty shop, which Webster eventually purchased and expanded. The store has featured a "retro" decor, designed to remind customers of a boardwalk store in Miami Beach, Fla. ever since.
At that time, the Shirt Shack was one of only a few businesses on the south side of Fort Scott, Webster said.
"Everything was downtown, there wasn't much on this side of town," he said. "We were one of only two clothing stores (in the area) at that time. If you're the only game in town, it makes it better because people come here and shop."
Webster's business became extremely popular, and he eventually began selling Lee brand jeans, jackets and other types of clothing at the store. He soon expanded his business to offer his product to concert promoters during rock concerts that toured the Midwest. He began providing concert merchandise for rock musicians ranging from Alice Cooper to ZZ Top, from Aerosmith to the Rolling Stones. Webster once pressed decals onto T-shirts at one of Cooper's concerts in Kansas City, Mo., where he was also able to talk to various musicians and crew members backstage.
Webster has since hooked up with various rock and roll promoters in the area to keep his business going strong for the past three decades.
Webster's store now carries not only jeans and T-shirts but two of his biggest selling items; FSHS Tiger sports wear and FOX racing apparel. The store also carries other assorted wear that changes according to fashion trends.
"We do a lot of custom printing. Concerts are still our biggest thing," he said.
When asked what has changed about the T-shirt, clothing and custom printing industries during the past 30 years, Webster said the industry has primarily been taken over by corporations and companies that create their own merchandise for sale. People who share the same dream now of pursuing their own business, which Webster did so many years ago as a young man, have basically gone by the wayside, he said.
"There are not too many independent guys anymore," he said. "Big business has changed all that. Plus, T-shirts are expensive."
To celebrate the Shirt Shack's 30th anniversary, all pricing on merchandise in the store has been marked down, Webster said. Webster and his staff are also conducting a prize contest, where customers can register to win a variety of prizes including electronics and other items.
Webster and his small staff continue to handle all daily operations at the store and intend to continue providing quality merchandise for the next 30 years and beyond.
"We work for it," he said. "We're constantly changing."