Who We Are: A Brief History Lesson

First off I would like to say welcome to the Racks Or Tails Outdoors Blog. I hope that this blog will bring you all something enjoyable to read. Some of y'all reading this may know our back story and who we are, but for everyone else, I would like to take this first post to fill you in.

Racks Or Tails started in Jacksonville FL in 2012 selling t-shirts. The whole operation took place in the loft of my college house, with a small heat-press, and some blank white and grey shirts. Looking back it's laughable how bad the first logo was. I traced a deer head and a fishtail on paper like a child and said hey that looks alright. Well after some mediocre sales and basically giving away the first shirts just to try and promote, I knew it was time for a change.

The original logo.

Fast forward two years. Yes, it took that long, I mean I was a broke college kid still trying to graduate, which was a real challenge for me. Sorry, mom and dad. Anyways back to the point. So I went back to the drawing board, with a new logo. I got hooked up with a graphic design guy, from a fishing captain I knew through a mutual friend. It took months to get the logo done but was worth it in the end. After that, it was time to get some new merchandise. Well, that takes money, so after a new business plan, and a new vision I secured a loan through a family member.

I got shirts, hats, koozies, cups, and a couple of new designs, I thought I was about to kill it in the retail game. Well as with most things in life, reality has an unmistakable right hook. Sales were slow, and I was pretty much selling strictly to family and friends. Not a good formula for success. I got a handful of random sales over the next year or so but not enough to keep up with the loan payment, so most of that payment came from my 9 to 5 construction job.

The new and improved logo.

Unfortunately, I had to make a choice. I could keep paying the money to keep the website, advertisement, and online store; or I could cut my losses focus on my construction career, pay back the loan, and move on. So that's what I did. Packed all the shirts into boxes, which eventually ended up at goodwill because they took up attic space. Kept the koozies, because let's be real you can always use those, and gave away a lot of the other stuff.

So after that, I focused all my efforts on my construction career, hunting, and fishing. The three things I was good at. Well, my career took me from building high rises, to residential and commercial docks, and finally to building new apartment complexes, which I continue to do to this day. It also took me from my home state of Florida to Charlotte, North Carolina. I have had plenty of life changes since shutting down the business, but the passion for the idea of what Racks Or Tails could be has never left.

Going over some plans with my superintendent

So after that short history lesson, we come to the present day of Racks Or Tails Outdoors, to this blog post, something I never would have thought I would be doing. I have always had a love for writing, and to be honest I can write what I need to say better than actually speaking it sometimes. This blog will have mainly my feelings on different subjects that come to hunting and fishing, a lot of good hunting and fishing stories, and maybe at some point some cool videos of us doing both. Who knows it may even lead to a podcast or even a TV show. I mean that is the dream right? Truthfully it all just started as a way to bring new passion to all the things I love to do.

Most people have a definitive vision, or a plan of where they want these things to go, I don't. All I hope is that someone out there enjoys reading what I end up writing, but if not that's alright I do this for my enjoyment, I just hope I can bring some of my enjoyment to other people who may have similar passions and stories.

One of our old t-shirt designs

While I may be the writer here at Racks or Tails, none of these stories or views I write about would be possible without the rest of the Racks or Tails Outdoors Crew. They are my family, hunting partners, friends, and my inspiration to continue chasing my dreams, and passions. I'll introduce you all to them over time, with their permission of course. Not everyone wants to be put out on display for the world. Until then y'all keep up the pursuit of your own hunting and fishing memories.

If you read all the way to here I would like to truly thank you for reading our history. I plan on putting out a new post as often as I can, and will try to get on a regular schedule. If you enjoyed this please share it with someone you think will enjoy it too.

Thanks

Rick Stewart