Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Edgar.
Hi Joshua, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I’ve worked in service and retail my whole adult life. I didn’t have the means to complete college, so I turned to retail at 18.
It wasn’t until a couple of years ago, during the pandemic, that I realized how much I love it. Maybe it was the lack of human interaction, or how ingrained the sense of community became, or how my love and appreciation of good objects grew during that time, but there was a moment where it clicked, and it became “How do I do this better? How can I become better?”
I became obsessed with three things: service, the various subcultures that makeup Americana, and quality objects. Shopping, especially in this context, is an intimidating thing to do. I aim to make every experience exceptional. I want people to leave, regardless if they purchase something or not, to want to come back because I made sure that their experience was as close to perfect as possible. Folks want nice things for themselves, and to do it in a physical space where you can touch, feel, and see the objects in person.
The store is designed through the lens of my growing up – surrounded by my family’s pioneer roots, in Wyoming and Utah on my mom’s side and the American South on my dad’s. If you come into the store, you’ll see some of my family’s heirlooms in here as an homage to those visuals I grew up with. I think people associate “Americana” either through a political lens or that it’s uninteresting.
Americana, for Acre, is a beautiful amalgamation of cultures – whether it’s more West Coast, surfy, workwear or cowboy-wear, East Coast, prep/ivy adjacent stuff a la Ralph Lauren, or how things like Basketball and Baseball connect generations of people. It’s big, it’s beautiful, and through this, I hope to redefine and recontextualize “Americana”.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been challenges for sure – but what’s been so cool has been the amount of help I’ve had on the way.
Ken Sintz at Essential Photo Supply, Levi Jackson at Storehouse, Sean Miller at Park Cafe, and Erin Butler and Nick Price at Holy Water (among many others I’m forgetting) are exemplary small business owners. I’ve received so much help and guidance from them all, that the obstacles that come up are easier to tackle with their help.
We’ve been impressed with Acre, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Acre is a multi-brand select shop, meaning we work with brands from all over the world to carry their products in-store. We focus mainly on menswear, and the product we carry is meant to be accessible to everyone, regardless of gender.
I want our customers to love their purchases for years, and that requires two things: clothes that will structurally hold up over time, and clothes that will age well with their style over time. We’re not a capital “F” fashion store – we’re a store that helps you develop a personal style. Style, not fashion, is a social language.
It’s how we communicate to others how we want them to perceive us. So, like other languages, it requires some time and effort to learn it. More than anything, I want to be a resource for people to help them develop their style of language.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Come say hi! I’m here every day but on Mondays, so if you ever want to chop it up, talk, or need something, I’m here!
Contact Info:
- Website: acreshop.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acreshop/
