Photo by Erin Nelson.
Susan Roberts, left, a sales associate with Onward Reserve in Charlotte, North Carolina, helps Taylor Powell as he looks at a new sports coat at Onward Reserve, a new men’s clothing store in Lane Parke, on May 12.
Onward Reserve’s motto is “Live Authentically,” urging its customers to live authentic lives while enjoying its brand of clothing.
The clothing company, founded in 2012, has stores in Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and now Alabama. The first Alabama location opened at Mountain Brook’s Lane Parke in March.
The Lane Parke location features performance and tailored sportswear, the five-pocket pant and sport coat suit, casual T-shirts and gifts, as well as University of Alabama and Auburn University branded collegiate apparel. Onward Reserve also happens to be the official approved partner of the Alabama Crimson Tide Radio Network.
T.J. Callaway, founder and chairman executive officer of Onward Reserve, said the location in Mountain Brook simply made sense for the company’s first store in Alabama.
“We always stay at the Grand Bohemian when we are in town and all of our friends live pretty close to Lane Parke,” Callaway said in a press release. “This location makes all the sense in the world. Whether you're out for drinks with friends or a round of golf on the golf course, our brand is tailored to fit the day-to-day needs of all men.”
The origin of the Onward Reserve brand came from an authentic memory, Callaway said on the company’s website.
“While on a hunting trip to Onward, Mississippi, I was told the story of Theodore Roosevelt hunting on the same property,” Callaway said.
In 1902, Roosevelt was invited to Onward, Mississippi, for a bear hunt. After days without success, the hunting party, without the president knowing, hired a trapper to capture and deliver a bear for Roosevelt to kill.
Roosevelt, a proud hunter and naturalist, heard how the bear had come to be in his sights and demanded it be set free. The story made national news that day and it was not long before a toy maker in New York was granted permission to manufacture a plush bear toy named after President Roosevelt.
The “Teddy Bear” was born, and with it the most famous and impactful hunting story in history, Callaway said, adding that this story made an impact on him when he heard it over a hundred years later. Teddy Roosevelt was onto something that day, and he refused to accept anything less than an authentic experience, Callaway said.
“The Onward Reserve brand was conceived during that same hunting trip with friends in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, so I felt it only fitting that our brand share a name with the famous tale,” he added. “Onward Reserve is my vision for an authentic brand. A brand that is laid back but unwavering in quality. In harmony with the original vision for Onward Reserve, I design each season’s collection and carefully select our collection of other brands with the Onward Reserve lifestyle in mind.”
The Lane Parke location of Onward Reserve is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
For more information, visit onwardreserve.com.
