Print Article
I sat at Chomp Chomp, an underrated food stop on East Adams street, and admired the bar stools with seat covers of the Misfits and other bands while I waited to meet Burro Bags designer and Burro Bar co-owner Chris Williams.
He casually walked in right on time and before sitting down, briefly greeted the employees of the tiny eatery who knew him on a first name basis. He sat down and smiled. One of the workers handed him a beer almost immediately. It was obvious to Williams, downtown is his home.
With Williams’ familiarity to the area, it only made sense for it to be the place where he started turning his dreams into reality, which is exactly what he did when he created the first Burro Bag with Matt Borts in 2007.
Chris Williams producing a Burro shirt
photo cred: http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/34281_130907250280766_3125303_n.jpg
Five years later, the University of North Florida graduate is doing what he loves, which oddly enough has nothing to do with his Bachelor’s degree in English. In fact, it was his journey to the campus from downtown that sparked his idea to do something different. Williams said he would commute to school via bike and bus and needed an easier way to keep his gear in order, thus created Burro Bags as a way to make biking around town more applicable.
The initial creating of the bags did not cost much, as his father being an upholsterer gave him easy access to necessary materials. According to Williams, perfecting the creations in to what they are today was just a trial and error process. Now, in addition to riding gear, Burro Bags also deals apparel.
Burro shirts
After lunch, Williams led our one and a half block trek to his shop. The entrance is split between a record shop, and Williams’ side displayed some of the 100 percent made in America bags, t-shirts in a variety of colors, and other miscellaneous apparel readily available for purchase.
Artwork consumes nearly all the walls in the shop, and in the front is a mural of donkeys, the animal that is the logo of the brand itself. Williams said the animal was picked in part because they travel in packs, and essentially so do bike enthusiasts.
The Burro logo on a backpack
Another wall in the middle room of the shop
Through the back is the production area. Though filled with a wide-range of materials, cardboard boxes, tables and sewing machines, the work area had simplicity to it – no murals, no real distractions, just a space to keep the business flowing.
Williams estimated the time of creating an item from anywhere between 25 minutes to an hour. He shared one of his designs, a backpack complete with a YKK zipper, various compartments and sweat-reducing shoulder straps.
YKK zipper
Sweat-reducing straps
Various interior compartments
The success of the designs is largely in part because before Burro Bags, Jacksonville had not yet seen a company that catered to the needs of cyclists and other aspects of urban lifestyle. Williams credited the city and noted how building a dream in a quieter place is sometimes easier; if he had tried to do the same in a place like New York he said it would be harder to break in to. By generating Burro Bags in Jacksonville, Williams and his co-creators were able to set the bar for others.
Though working locally does have its downsides, Williams admits. “There’s a difference between people knowing your stuff and wanting to buy your stuff,” he said.
And if one is familiar with downtown, chances are, they are familiar with his affiliations. The members of Burro Bags partnered with Shantytown pub to create Burro Bar, which opened in 2011. Since then, it has developed into a popular music venue and one of the few Jacksonville hang outs that still plays anything from the Smiths to New Order to Iggy Pop on any given night.
There are other young entrepreneurs such as a Williams based in downtown, but he hardly sees them as competition.
“Collaborating excites the same part of your spirit as fighting, if you do it right,” he said.
Though both Burro Bags and Burro Bar is undoubtedly reflective of Jacksonville’s youth, Williams insisted the brand has something to offer everyone. Williams said the secret to appealing to a variety is “learning how to read people,” and in order to prosper, every business has to expand their audience.
What further ensures the product’s individuality is the customizable options available for order on their website. A customer can order items ranging from a padded laptop pocket on a roll top bag, a right slung messenger bag for lefties, or belt loops on hip bags.
It is a wonder how the entrepreneur’s success has become so tangible before the age of 30. Perhaps it is his balance between humbleness and confidence that lead him to such perseverance. As laid back as he was upon introduction, sipping a beer and reluctant to talk himself up, his dedication and business-like attitude is proven in his endeavors.
To purchase Burro apparel visit the store at 228 E Forsyth St, or customize your own on the website: http://www.burrobags.com/
article and photos by Melanie Pagan
Share this article
RSS
gedo3
July 13, 2012, 07:13:20 AMThis man is going to make it! He understand the meaning of hard work, creativity, and being willing to adapt! He's definitely to be admired!
TPC
July 13, 2012, 08:19:09 AMSimply put, Burro is amazing. I know Chris, Matt, Jack, John, and a host of others who have made Burro what it is and they all deserve praise. To me they are a great example of what this city needs in the core, young energetic entrepreneurs willing to put in hard work.
Imagine if we had 10-15 more Burro type of companies downtown, that would be amazing.
avs
July 13, 2012, 09:43:18 AMI love Burro and the guys that started it - they are creative entrepreneurs that put out a great product and have a great work ethic. They are super nice and donated a bag to Sustainable Springfield for our first fundraiser - they get the importance of supporting local businesses. I don't see the age thing as being a big deal - my husband is turning 50 next week and I have been looking at the various bags online to get him one - he will LOVE it and be so proud to sport it
MelMel
July 13, 2012, 12:20:48 PMI agree with everyone above. Getting to talk to him about his endeavors was great because he was humble and did not deny that it took working hard to get there. You said it best TPC, if we had even a handful of companies similar to Burro downtown, Jacksonville would have something to be truly proud of. Having localized businesses brought by young entrepreneurs would show that if anyone puts their mind to something, they can do it and that the future for post-college graduates does not have to be so dim.
And avs, the creators of Burro are very nice indeed. I am glad you and your husband are supporters of the brand -- standing behind local businesses helps sustain their foundation for success.
I thank Chris Williams for letting me in on so much, but I would also like to acknowledge the others not mentioned in the story who helped make Burro what it is today. They've pulled off something great.
JackDiablo
July 13, 2012, 06:56:37 PMThanks for all the kind words everyone! We appreciate all the love we receive locally. We're very fortunate to have such an awesome city behind us. Jacksonville and Downtown have been good to us and without all the support of our fans and customers, we wouldn't be able to do what we do!
As a special gift to our fans here at Metro Jacksonville, feel free to take 15% off your entire online order using coupon code "metrojax" at burrobags.com!
AshleyLauren
July 14, 2012, 02:33:20 AMNice piece, Mel Mel!
MelMel
July 14, 2012, 11:45:11 AMThanks for the code JackDiablo! What a nice thing to do for your metrojacksonville.com supporters.
And thank you for the praise AshleyLauren
gjosephunf
July 16, 2012, 01:48:51 AMTPC I wholeheartedly agree! If we had more creative businesses like Burro within the urban core Jacksonville could have its own fashion/garment district
MelMel --- Do you thing Burro will set the pace for entrepreneurs within fashion/design to head downtown?
Jaxson
July 16, 2012, 11:00:58 AMHow cool is that? I have known Chris and his family for years and I am very glad to know that he is coming into his own as a successful businessman who is active in bringing life to our urban core. Kudos to Chris and his partners!