Youngstown Clothing Company is a vintage-inspired graphic t-shirt and clothing line that focuses on Youngstown.

Founder of Youngstown Clothing Company, Matt McClure, says that his business is all about helping people feel hometown pride.

“A lot of people say where they’re from they have pride in that area. But I feel like it’s something special with Youngstown. It’s instilled from the time you’re born and we’re attempting to do our part by paying tribute to our past, while also looking towards the future,” McClure says.

“Youngstown Clothing Company is a high quality vintage-inspired graphic t-shirt and apparel line that focuses primarily on Youngstown.”

McClure says he was inspired by similar efforts happening in larger cities, but had to find an angle that would work in Youngstown.

“It’s just like the saying, ‘put your city on your back'”

“Around 2015 I started noticing some other cities — Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Columbus — they had some shops that were doing something similar and I just felt like what we lacked in pro sports teams, which is what those companies focus on, we made up for with nostalgia and rich history.”

“It’s just like the saying, ‘put your city on your back,'” says McClure. “50 percent of our online orders come to this area. But they go all over the country as well because there’s a lot of other people out there who have an immense amount of pride and always are proud to tell people that they’re from Youngstown. They wear it like a badge of honor almost.”

Youngstown Clothing Company is currently running a popup shop in the Southern Park Mall in Boardman, but their apparel can be found online and at various art shows, like the Youngstown Flea, year round. Visit ytownclothing.com to shop the various styles they sell, ranging from Youngstown State University to White House Fruit Farm and Handel’s Ice Cream.

This episode of Shop Local Mahoning Valley is sponsored by White Glove Payroll! Visit whiteglovepayroll.com/shoplocal to see if they’re a good fit for your business.

Check out these other episodes of Shop Local Mahoning Valley that feature local businesses that have been immortalized by Youngstown Clothing Company: More than Donuts at White House Fruit Farm, Stone Fruit Coffee Company