Grads know their roots

SPARTA—Back for another summer in Sparta, two friends continue on their journey toward success. What started in the basement of a Lake Mohawk home has turned into a nationally recognized company. Grassroots Clothing Company, established in 2001 by Grant Morrow and Curtis Taylor, began producing the company's first products using iron-on designs. The homemade shirts quickly caught the eyes of the local community. "Grassroots is a good time clothing label for everybody," says Morrow, while Taylor adds "We received such a positive response from our classmates that we decided to run with it." The 2003 Sparta High School graduates, with a little help from their friends, scratched together the funds to design and produce T-shirts in bulk. A week after the first order was completed, they had sold every last shirt and were back to designing more clothes. A generous investment from Curtis' grandparents enabled the company to manufacture a variety of new products. Sales continued to grow, and what had begun as an after school activity turned into a full-time job. Four years later, soon to be juniors are still hard at work. Though attending separate schools, Grant at Arizona State University and Curtis at Ithaca College, the young entrepreneurs have experienced minimal setbacks in running their company. Being on opposite sides of the country has actually been beneficial to the company's word of mouth movement. Curtis and Morrow tell their friends, who tell their friends, who in turn tell their friends. Grassroots has also increased its customer base, or what Grant and Curtis like to call their "new friends," by the recent establishment of www.weargrassroots.com. The public is invited to visit their booth on Saturday, June 11 at Sparta Day.