American muscle cars and blues music are not subjects that usually come up when discussing custom fashion, but at the soon-to-open men’s clothing store The Garage, these terms play a major role.
The slogan for the new men’s custom store, “For guys who like good music, fast machines, and hate the mall,” couldn’t capture the motif and spirit of the store better.
Offering exclusive lines from brands such as Lucky Brand, Ryan Michael and Rat Fink, The Garage is an extension of car-lover culture and provides West Coast, auto-show type styles in Baton Rouge.
Store operator and co-owner Blaine McGowan said the store is more of a cultural space representing the fashion and styles of the timeless auto-show, “hot rod” car scene culture.
“We’re trying to do this atmosphere where this is a weekend hangout spot, and you can just buy clothes while you’re here,” McGowan said.
Though the store will have limited hours, McGowan said it will open for emergency pickups, and as its customer base becomes more personal, the store will begin a delivery service.
The store will carry mostly button-ups, T-shirts and jeans as well as sweaters, cardigans and Leather Island limited edition belts that depict significant aspects of American culture. For instance, one belt timelines the mega-stars of music in the U.S. from the early 20th century to today, such as Ray Charles, Willie Nelson and Beyoncé.
McGowan said one of his main goals is building a clientele that is comfortable coming to the store to spend time without feeling pressured to buy anything. In fact, he said his future dream is to install a halfpipe in the inventory section of the store.
The inspiration for this community-style shopping came from his roots at Rukus Board Shop in Baton Rouge.
Though he was never officially employed at Rukus, McGowan said the store owner, Ronnie Saurage, took him under his wing and taught him not only how to be successful in retail but also how to retain a clientele through personal, reliable and relaxed customer service.
While many of the brands are popular with an older male demographic, the styles translate with growing trends in men’s fashion and broaden the scope for both younger and older men, he said.
Being exposed to these brands as well as researching other popular styles in the automobile community has allowed McGowan to buy for The Garage in a way that represents the theme and atmosphere the store is trying to promote.
“Now that I know about what I’m buying, it turns me on to new things,” McGowan said. “We really want to teach our customers about these brands and the history behind them.”
Rat Fink, for example, was created as an anti-establishment foil to Disney, and the T-shirt art’s main character is a green, half-starved, villainous rat with yellow teeth and blood-shot eyes brought to life by artist Ed Roth, a household name amongst automobile enthusiasts, McGowan said. The brand as it exists now is given only to specific stores on an individual basis.
This all enhances the distinct shopping experience that The Garage is attempting to cultivate.
“We’re really offering a culture rather than a store,” McGowan said.
With a minimalist approach, each of the store’s three small rooms will be dedicated to different items with each design displayed individually. McGowan said he wants each piece of clothing to be fully visible and well presented so it doesn’t get lost in translation on a clothes rack packed with too many items.
The store will be one section of a bigger building that houses the popular automobile publication Mopar Collectors Guide, a monthly magazine with a circulation of about 60,000 worldwide.
Magazine owner Robert Wolf has been creating the magazine for 27 years, originally with McGowan’s father. When McGowan showed interest in creating his own clothing store based around the automobile lifestyle, Wolf was eager to fund the project as yet another extension of the car-lover culture.
The store officially opens Nov. 21, but McGowan jokingly said that he is having a difficult time not purchasing his inventory for his personal wardrobe.
“The hardest thing about working here is trying not to buy everything myself,” McGowan said. “But I have to give somebody the opportunity to buy [the clothes] before me.”
You can reach Michael Tarver on Twitter @michael_T16.

Gallery • 8 Photos

Raegan Labat

The Garage will offer a variety of men's clothing and accessories. The new Baton Rouge clothing store is set to open Friday, Nov. 21 at 375 North Foster Blvd.