Made In Nashville
When Zach and I started Original Fuzz a few years ago we had an idea for a bag we could use to carry around our guitar pedals. I think it was Zach’s idea, in fact. In college he would always carry his pedals around in a gym bag with a pharmaceutical ad on it. His old pharma-bag was the perfect size for stashing cables and pedals, but everything inside it was a mess. So, we set out to fix that. I left my apartment in Brooklyn and drove down I-95 to Zach’s hometown of Jacksonville, FL to get work.
That may be our origin story, but any creative endeavor is destined to evolve, whether it’s a band or a business, and today we’re starting a new chapter by officially announcing our move to Nashville, TN.
Over the summer we moved all of our production capacity and brought on a skilled new designer in Brit Hessler. While we still import cool textiles from far-away places like India and Peru, Original Fuzz products are now 100% Made in Nashville.
Nashville is the perfect place for our business. There’s a vibrant and historic music scene, and it’s rich with creative talent. We’re looking forward to setting up shop here for the long haul. We’re also excited about branching out into new product categories, not just products for guitar players–artists, chefs, furniture makers, photographers, graphic designers, drummers, composers, entrepreneurs, you name it. This has always been the vision for the company, and Nashville is well-suited to help us grow. We’ll never leave our music roots behind because they are core to who we are as people.
To celebrate this transition, we’ve dedicated this month’s issue of our magazine to the city. We’re calling it Made in Nashville. It’s loaded with contributions by friends and cultural movers here in town–an impressive list of folks across the creative spectrum. Huge thanks to everyone who helped!
We also made a hand-illustrated trail map with points of interest to kindred spirits. Give it a read and let us know what you think. Here’s to laying down deep roots in Nashville, TN. Next time you’re in town, stop by our studio in Cleveland Park and see what we’re working on.
Safe travels,
Lee McAlilly
Co-Founder, Original Fuzz
