fitness clothing brand

BUSINESS FEATURE Polo grad launches worldwide fitness clothing brand

Free Spirit Outlet hopes to reach $1M in sales this year

BY JEFF HELFRICH

jhelfrich@oglecountynews.com

When Taylor Chaney attended her first expo representing her clothing brand, she had to split a booth with a local police department.

“People had no idea who we were or what we were doing,” Chaney said.

In January of this year, Chaney returned to that same expo and had 200-300 people there to see her clothing brand.

Chaney started Free Spirit Outlet with her boyfriend, Ben Hogge. They hope to reach $1 million in sales for this year and have sold to customers in 40 countries.

The brand caters more to women’s workout clothing but also has men’s clothing. Chaney and Hogge run it from Austin, Texas and have added two other partners to the business, Sarah Ackman and Johnathan Kuntzman.

Chaney, now 23, spent two years at Sauk Valley Community College after graduating from Polo High School. She then attended Illinois State University for a year before dropping out to start Free Spirit Outlet with Hogge.

Polo grad Taylor Chaney (right) and her boyfriend Ben Hogge have started a fitness clothing brand that has made sales all over the world. Photo supplied.

“We both wanted more out of life,” Chaney said. “We were both into fitness and decided to start the clothing brand.”

Chaney and Hogge packed as much of their belongings as they could into a four-door sedan and moved to Texas. They sold everything that didn’t fit.

“It was extremely scary,” Chaney said. “My parents were scared for me.”

Stacey Chaney and Perry LaGee are now proud for their daughter. Stacey always asks when her daughter can fly home to see her. Perry understands the grind of the business side. They’re supportive.

COVID-19 & BUSINESS It’s official: Restaurants, bars can serve cocktails to go

Pritzker signs law providing relief to establishments

BY REBECCA ANZEL

Capitol News Illinois

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois restaurants and bars can serve cocktails to go Tuesday after Gov. JB Pritzker signed an initiative designed by lawmakers to provide establishments with financial relief in the wake of COVID-19 challenges.

Those businesses are “some of the hardest hit” by the public health emergency, the governor said in a press release after signing the bill into law.

Starting Free Spirit Outlet was tough for Chaney and Hogge. After opening their site in July 2018, they lived off cash for the first nine months and had no more than $100 in sales a day on average in that period.

They did $3,000 in sales in March of 2019. In July 2019, they did $50,000 in sales and acquired bigger endorsers and grew to be worldwide. They only ship orders once or twice a month because inventory sells out so fast.

“Ben keeps it cool,” Chaney said. “I was thinking we’d do great but I didn’t know when. I kept a positive mindset. Ben hid his skepticism. We couldn’t spend on things. I couldn’t go to concerts or get my nails done.”

Free Spirit Outlet’s motto is “unapologetically you.” Chaney’s original plan was to finish college as a psychology major. She was a first generation college student. But she never really enjoyed school. She had no idea what she wanted, but she found it.

Outside of hitting the $1 million sales mark for the year, Chaney and Hogge’s goals include starting a flagship store in Austin and growing their network of ambassadors.

“The expos made me think that it’d be OK,” Chaney said. “We always made our money back and more. People had no idea who we were or what we were doing. And look at us now.”

Clothing can be purchased at freespiritoutlet.com

“This legislation will provide these businesses with a critical tool to bring in additional income until they can safely and fully reopen their doors once more,” he added.

Chicago Democratic Sen. Sara Feigenholtz sponsored the initiative in her chamber. She said Illinois is one of 34 other states to have such “a survival tool” on the books.

Alcoholic beverages are available for customers only in pick-up and delivery orders, and must be served in a sealed container with a tamper-proof lid, according to the law. Drivers delivering mixed drinks must store them in a trunk or other compartment inaccessible to them while operating the motor vehicle.

Those working for third-party delivery services, including DoorDash and GrubHub, cannot bring residents the cocktails to go.

The law, set to expire one year from Tuesday, additionally postpones late fees and liquor license fees for restaurants and bars. It also authorizes a license extension for any establishment that suffered business interruptions due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“Cocktails to go is a small but important initiative designed to help our hospitality industry get back on its feet after COVID-19,” Democratic Rep. Michael Zalewski, from Riverside, said in a written statement.

House Bill 2682 was sent to the governor by the General Assembly on May 29 after passing both chambers on a bipartisan basis near-unanimously six days earlier.

It was introduced over a year ago as legislation creating three aviation-related government funds. The same day representatives and senators concluded their special session, Feigenholtz proposed an amendment gutting and replacing that original language with the bill that legalizes cocktails-to-go.