Swell-O-Phonic Celebrates 25

Fondren skate/shoe/clothing shop Swell-O-Phonic marks a quarter century, the creation of south Jackson native Ron Chane.

Swell O Phonic store interior
Swell-O-Phonic is located at 2906 North State Street at the Fondren Corner building
Credit: Swell-O-Phonic

"We can’t thank you enough for allowing us to serve Jackson and beyond for the past 25 years, said Chane, who also owns Studio Chane, a screen printing business in Fondren. "We have been privileged to start from absolutely nothing as a little tee shirt line in south west Jackson and grow because of so many great people who somehow believed in us."

Chane
Chane
Credit: Tate Nations/Find It In Fondren

HISTORY

In 1998, Chane had just come off of touring the US selling tee shirts and literally living out of his car. The last stop was Jackson and a little neighborhood called Fondren before heading back to Pensacola to sleep on friends' couches. The planets aligned and Chane opened Studio Chane a month later. He had a screenprinting studio in the back of the building and sold skateboards in the front.

Six months after Studio Chane began, Chane opened Studio Boutique where he sold tshirts, skateboards, skate shoes and some clothing. Six months later, in March 1999, the screenprinting studio moved to a different location in Fondren, allowing Studio Boutique to expand. The store has moved all over the Fondren District and reinvented many times over.

Upon later establishing in New York City and London, Chane always chose to invest his earnings back in Jackson. "We have enjoyed seeing kids who supported us early on turn into parents."

"This journey was never expected to be easy and it hasn’t been, but so many of you becoming a part of our lives has been the worth here," Chane said. "We hope the next 25 will be as fruitful as the first. Thank you for not just letting us still exist, but for allowing us to become a community company."

Learn more about Chane | Studio Chane/Swell-O-Phonic Scholarship Program

Studio Chane original storefront
The original Fondren storefront of Studio Chane
Credit: Chane
Paul Wolf

Author

Paul Wolf

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