HRD Apparel expands footprint within the Miami Valley

Launching a business in the midst of a pandemic isn’t easy. But dedication, determination, and being both goal and customer oriented led HRD Apparel to thrive.

The specialty streetwear company that launched in Spring 2020 with an online presence, followed by a Springfield storefront at 1831 S. Yellow Springs St., recently expanded to a second brick and mortar location within The Greene Town Center at 73 Chestnut St., Dayton.

“We launched the second store in December 2021, right at the end of the year and felt it was the right time to do it because of the Christmas season,” says Derrick Humphrey, a 2005 Kenton Ridge High School graduate who established HRD Apparel alongside his cousin, 2006 South High School grad Kaylen McIntosh, and Springboro resident Justin Rankin. “We were a brand new store, new to the area, and we had a really successful launch.”

When the business first started, the goal was to fill a void for streetwear styles and brands that at the time weren’t available in Springfield. By focusing on growing HRD Apparel in phases and keeping their goals front-of-mind, Humphrey says the business has been able to continue drive a market for styles that customers can’t find other places in the Miami Valley.

In addition to business planning and focus, Humphrey attributes a huge part of HRD Apparel’s success to being customer oriented, with an attention to detail and service.

“We love doing good business, and we think we’re still very unique as we continue to grow,” he says. “We think we’re the standard. We all have a mentality of wanting to give our customers a good experience – we want to give them white-glove service.”

Among the company’s best selling items are its range of high-end sneakers, including Jordans, Nike Dunks and Yeezys. Humphrey says that the shop pairing the unique sneaker options with specialty apparel brands is what sets it apart.

Some of the top-selling brands Humphrey noted include LIE - Loyalty Is Everything, The Bleeding Heart Market, DRO, After School Special, and Reference.

“When you think of retail, you want to create a degree of separation between you and other places,” he says. “Customers like to think that you can not only find sneakers you like and sneakers you want, but also the threads you want.

“We pride ourselves on our clothing offerings. We have hot brands that will soon take over not only Springfield and Dayton, but are taking off nationwide.”

Before opening the Dayton shop at The Greene, Humphrey says the group looked first to try to expand to a second retail location in Springfield. After not finding a space they felt fit a second shop in the city, they decided to branch out.

Though the main focus will continue to be on growing and maintaining the two current locations, Humphrey says they are still interested in finding somewhere in Springfield to open a second storefront.

“In terms of Springfield, we’re still looking for another location. We’re not looking too aggressively yet, but we’ll start looking closer in the summer,” he says. “(With expanding), we want to move quick, but we want to move smart. We don’t want to rush anything.”

He says HRD Apparel also has its eye on possibly growing its footprint to include a shop in Columbus sometime in the future.

“Things have gone really well for us, considering it’s a new business,” Humphrey says, adding that being positive and staying the course even through the coronavirus pandemic has brought them a long way.

“A lot of good things can come out of a bad situation, if you’re able to see them,” he says. “We were all so locked in and so determined, so we felt like if the world is still spinning, if the sun still comes up, then we have a chance.

“There’s that optimism with any entrepreneur.”