Revive - A Quarterly Fly Fishing Journal | Page 160

Tennessee Fly Company started at a concert in December of 2012. I was sitting behind a guy wearing a backward hat with the Tennessee flag symbol on it – three stars inside a circle. Maybe it’s the simplicity of the design or the inherent patriotism that comes with stars. Or maybe it’s the colors; red, white and blue. For whatever reason, our state flag’s logo had seen an amazing surge in popularity with clothing items and I was in the middle of a surging love affair with fly fishing. I immediately imagined three flies in place of the stars. The TN FLY CO logo was born. I cobbled together my first design that weekend, threw it on some shirts and hats and started Tennessee Fly Company.

It should come as no surprise that my foray into fly fishing began with my wife, Hannah. She has injected beauty and creativity into my life since the moment I met her. Though her attempts to teach me the sport were met with some resistance, I quickly spiraled into a full-blown obsession. That obsession led to many, many days on the water and many more spent thinking, dreaming and hoping all things fly fishing. She might say she cursed me with this disease but I will be forever grateful to her for changing my life in so many wonderful ways.

TN FLY CO quickly grew from my first meager product offering of one hat and one shirt. Two years after it began, I was taking days off work from my fulltime job to fulfill orders. Between the growth of TN FLY CO and my family, my time on the water became smaller and smaller. Our family of 2 had quickly grown to a family of 5 by October, 2014. In September of 2013, we welcomed our first son, Simms. The following fall, in October of 2014, we welcomed our (surprise!) twin boys, Ellis and Vance.