Lafayette's one-of-a-kind shop celebrates
Red Arrow is a rare breed. What started as a simple idea - making a homegrown bag design to sell at festivals and fairs in South Louisiana - has turned into a truly unique shop on Main Street in River Ranch with an eclectic blend of form and function unlike anything else around town. This week they celebrate one year since taking the plunge and just as they did one year ago, the team behind the store continues to carry an eclectic blend of home goods, amazing children's toys, bags, jewelry and all that fantastic Parish Ink. (Stay tuned, their giving some of it away each day.)
Before Red Arrow was even an idea, Jason Brown and his now wife Jillian traveled to festivals with those homegrown bags and some multicolored fabric flags with the state of Louisiana hand-printed on them to decorate their booth.
"Both the bags and the flags were a hit, and we spent the next year making things and driving around on weekends selling them, alongside Jillian's south Louisiana T-Shirt brand, Parish Ink, a company she'd recently started with two other partners," says Brown.
Then in the spring of 2012 plans turned serious and the team secured the name Red Arrow and a spot in River Ranch.
"The store opened in August of 2012 and featured a wide range of products that reflected our ongoing commitment to sustainable living and great design," Brown says. "The store also emphasizes both our love for Louisiana culture and our passion for great products that are well-made, ethically produced and affordable."
They are certainly hitting the mark from pieces you'd keep for a lifetime like dainty necklaces and bold cuff bracelets - many of which are made in Louisiana and some in Lafayette - to cool bags made from sustainable materials and home products that work as well as they look.
This week they'll offer a killer giveaway each day (just keep an eye on their facebook page each morning for the details and how to enter) and on Friday celebrate this milestone in earnest with a First Friday shindig in conjunction with Maven Menswear and Womenswear - food, drink and music.