FOXDUCK FAREWELL

THE BEGINNING

And it all came to life with you. But before that, it started with an old screen printing machine and a friend willing to sell it.

My dad lent us $800. At the time, it felt like everything. Looking back at what that machine built—the shirts, the community, the connections that stretched all the way to the Great Wall of China—we would have paid anything.

For eighteen years before Foxduck, I was a bartender. That life taught me everything I needed to know — the art of a conversation, the strength of a handshake, the power of kindness, the importance of patience, and when to say I’ve had enough. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was being prepared. Every shift, every story, every stranger who became a regular — it was all practice for this. So when I opened these doors and the people of this city walked in, I was ready. When stories of trouble came, I was prepared to be an ear. When stories of happiness came, we celebrated. When grief arrived, I was there to share in the pain. That presence — that connection — was what I loved most. And Foxduck gave me a place to keep doing it.

Something clicked when we first started using that machine; for the first time, I was able to find a way to connect with people using my designs. I was hooked.

THE CITY

Lancaster didn’t just support Foxduck. This city saved me. It pulled me out of a self-destructive chapter and gave me somewhere to pour my creativity, my energy, and my heart. It gave me a dream worth showing up for. And for ten years, you showed up with me.

We saw how special Lancaster was, and we wanted the world to see it too. So, we made shirts for Tucquan Glen, Pine View Dairy, Sickman's Mill, Long's Horseradish, American Bar and Grill, Horse Inn, special gems like Lancaster Marionette and The Fulton Theatre, and all the other cherished corners of Lancaster that made our home unlike anywhere else. We wanted to hold up a mirror to this city and say, "Look how beautiful you are." Then we found something even bigger—the powerful voice of this community. And we tried our best to be its megaphone: to stand for solidarity, equality, and support for every single person who calls this place home.

We were there at the block parties, printing on the street. At benefit concerts and community events. At Extra Give, Water Week for the Lancaster Conservancy, and the solidarity campaign that brought this city together during the pandemic — showing up wherever this city gathered, because that’s what you do when a place means something to you. We were there in 2016 at Tellus360 and witnessed the collective scream of a city finding its voice. That night stays with us.

Lancaster has always been a city of welcome. We were honored to carry that message. We always will be.

THE COMMUNITY

From the very first pop-up, you showed up. You didn’t just shop — you believed. You made Foxduck what it became, and we never forgot that.

A little shop in Lancaster, PA—and somehow our shirts found their way all over the world. Europe. The Great Wall of China. Places we may never go ourselves, but a piece of this city got there first. Every one of them was carried by someone who felt connected to something here. Together, without even knowing it, you built a worldwide community. It was never about us. It was always about you and the love you carried for this place. And we will continue to grow our worldwide community.

SMALL BUSINESS BIG ROLE

Being a small business owner in this city has been one of the great honors of my life. Small business owners are warriors. We show up when the lights are out—some days not knowing what tomorrow brings, running on belief when the numbers don’t add up, because we love this city too much to quit. It can be exhausting showing up each day to meet expectations and stay consistent through our own personal hard times: a tear behind the smile when we’re grieving the loss of a loved one, anxiety lurking around every bill that’s paid, or a slightly weaker handshake because we just had a medical emergency and feel compelled to keep going.

Small businesses are the backbone of everything beautiful about a city. The reason a street feels alive. The reason a neighborhood has a soul. We do it to make a living, yes — but in Lancaster, we do it to bring a little light into a world that can feel very dark.

THE TURNING POINT

Rebecca and I have always believed that even in the hardest moments, there is something to find—a gift hiding inside the struggle. Last year, I had heart surgery. And that gift showed up as time, as focus, and as clarity I didn’t know I needed. The greatest gift is possibility, and thanks to the incredible team at LGH, I’m not closing this chapter because I couldn’t keep going. I’m closing it because I want to go further. And more importantly, I don’t have to hustle to get there; I can now walk, take life in, and plan.

WITNESS TO GROWTH

I’ve been witness to families growing up, to kids becoming adults. We’ve shared stories of loss and grief. We’ve cried together, gathered together, cheered together. And somewhere in all of it — in all those small, ordinary, extraordinary moments — we helped change a city.

MARKET MORNINGS

One thing I’ll carry with me always: market mornings. There is something sacred about Lancaster’s markets — the history, the tradition, the unbroken line of people who have stood in this city and said welcome, stranger, you belong here. Some visitors only interact with two or three people during their entire time here. In those moments you aren’t just a shop owner — you are the city. You represent everything Lancaster is and everything it stands for. That weight never left me. To meet people from every corner of the world. To hear how a shirt sparked a conversation, how something small from a small shop became part of someone’s story. That’s an honor I never took lightly.

THE CALL

So before we close these doors — we’d love one more moment of joy. Send us your pictures. Share your stories. A memory, a photo, a moment where Foxduck showed up in your life in some small way. Tag us, DM us, find us however you find us. We want to see it all.

Let’s celebrate the way we started — together.

THANK YOU

To my family — thank you. For every moment of support, patience, and belief. None of this existed without you.

To my co-founders Joss and Rebecca — you built this with me. Not just the brand, not just the business — you helped build me. There was a time when Foxduck was a lifeboat. Something to hold onto when everything else felt uncertain. Like most family businesses, there were growing pains — but they pushed us forward, and we shared in triumphs that were worth every bit of the work it took to get there. The hours we poured into building out the shop, the values we held together putting the community first, the belief in that mission and showing up every day — it shaped me in ways I’m still discovering. You gave me something even harder to teach — confidence in myself as a designer. It wasn’t always easy to see myself the way you saw me. Honestly, I still struggle with that sometimes. But you believed in my talent before I fully did. And in doing so, you taught me things about myself I never expected to learn — about my voice, my worth, and what I’m capable of when I get out of my own way.

And Shane — who was a lifesaver when I needed one most, keeping Foxduck alive while I was in the hospital. Watching you grow as a designer has been one of the quiet joys of this whole journey. I’m grateful for every bit of it.