Check Out Cindy Laverty and Dominic Gironda’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cindy Laverty and Dominic Gironda.

Hi Cindy and Dominic, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Our life changed in 2013 when we left our life-long home in Los Angeles and moved to Franklin, TN. Sometimes you’re called to do things that you could never imagine. We knew no one, had no jobs and we weren’t looking to retire.

We just moved! Dominic had been a hairstylist in Beverly Hills for 25 years and we were sure he would be able to find work here, but we were very wrong. After months of frustration and disappointment, we were close to having his commute back and forth from L.A. to Franklin.

Cindy was a life coach for women and was working on slowly getting her business going in Nashville. With all the challenges and financial struggles, to say that we questioned our decision to move is a vast understatement. Things changed one night in 2015. We were having dinner at Mellow Mushroom in Franklin and a guy walked by our table wearing a cool flannel shirt. Cindy stopped him and asked where he got it. He said that his wife was messing around and made it for him. Dominic said, “I can make you a shirt like that.”

Two days later, Cindy had a very over-distressed flannel shirt, (nothing like what our shirts are like today). She wore it into a local store in Franklin and the owner said she wanted one and that Dominic should make 20 more shirts and she would sell them. Unbeknownst to us, at that moment, Franklin Flannels was born and we had no idea what was about to happen. or how our life was about to change again.

In the beginning, we literally drove all over Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky looking for vintage flannels. Friends went thrifting for us because Franklin Flannels was taking off and we couldn’t find a product. We never set out to run a vintage flannel shirt company. Dominic is an artist and the creative aspect of this company came easily for him. He was constantly working to create the most distinctly different vintage product available. Cindy, on the other hand, had to learn quickly how to operate a fashion business. From life coach to figuring out a niche fashion business was definitely a stretch, but we kept moving forward because clearly, this was a product that people wanted.

We participated in several small pop-up shows around Nashville and then we went to bigger venues. Boutiques started calling and our wholesale business was born. Dominic kept refining the process and today Franklin Flannels give vintage flannel shirts a second chance by artistically reverse dying them one shirt at a time. Nothing is ever mass-produced. Our shirts go through an extensive softening process and the outcome of all this TLC is an incredibly comfortable wearable work of art.

It’s seven years later and we’ve been so blessed. You can find us in boutiques across the United States and we offer products at our online store, as well. It’s definitely been a journey and we can’t wait to see what lies ahead.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing worth doing is ever easy. There were a lot of mountains to climb along the way and a lot of lessons to be learned.

Here we were in a new state trying to acclimate and get our bearings, while also trying to learn a new business. It was a perfect opportunity for fear to show up and it did. “I’m a recovering perfectionist and when I’m not sure what I’m doing, that’s when my brain is not my friend,” Cindy told us.

“I got through the negative self-talk, (and there was a lot of it), with determination and a burning faith that we were going to be okay.” Some would say we’ve been lucky, but we don’t really believe in luck. The harder you work; the more you learn; the more determined you are – that’s when the world sees you as lucky.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We have a niche market. Franklin Flannels are one-of-kind and nothing is ever mass-produced. We love taking vintage flannels and creating something new. The whole idea of sustainability matters to us.

We make a cool product, but really, we’re in the happiness business. No one needs what we offer – they just want it because it makes them happy. We believe that people are wanting to “come home” to a place of comfort, and our flannels are like an old chair that feels like home, but with style. We make sure that the shopping experience is outstanding from the first point of contact.

We have a very loyal customer base and we don’t take that lightly. We’re not the only company working with vintage flannel shirts, but we’ve created a process that is unique to us.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
We’ve had a lot of cheerleaders along the way – old and new friends and family members. In the beginning, a friend loaned us money to kick start the business and help us pay for the product. We paid him back in five months.

We’ve made a point of surrounding ourselves with people who genuinely care about our success, and we’ve never taken any of this for granted. This has definitely been a blessing.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://franklinflannels.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/franklinflannels/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/franklinflannels

Image Credits
Jason Wain Photography and JR Arostegui