Florence, Alabama was surveyed by the Cypress Land Company in 1818 and named “Florence”, after the capital of Tuscany by Ferdinand Sannoner, an Italian engineer from Livorno.

Florence, Alabama sits on the bank of the Tennessee River. Florence, Italy sits on the banks of the Arno River. Right now, I’m at my hotel in Florence about fifteen steps from the Arno, and if I had to guess, Billy is probably in the other Florence within a stone’s throw from the Tennessee.

Serendipitous if true.

In 2017 or 2018 I was invited by Billy and his team to come to Florence (from here on out, this refers to the Alabaman iteration) for an event that they call “Shindig”. An event bringing music and food to the town where Billy’s brand is headquartered. I’ve been to Kazakhstan, Iceland, San Marino, Fiji, Nicaragua, Cyprus, and Georgia (the country), but I sure as hell had never been to Alabama before. And so, I went.

I landed in Nashville and drove my Dodge to Florence. Waffle Houses and gas stations lined the way. As I pulled into Florence it all seemed to change. Florence was a postcard of what I had expected a southern American town would look like. The columns supporting the front façade of the 35630 post office were frozen in time. Beautiful homes on tree lined streets. Waterloo Road straddling Court Street, flowed down to the edge of town and continued into the shallow valley carved out by Cypress Creek. It was very damn cute.

Jack White was there playing sandlot baseball with his team the “Warstic Warriors” against Billy’s “Alabama Slammers” home team at the University of Northern Alabama. I don’t remember who won. I do remember that it was about as hot and humid as hot and humid can be.
I went to Shindig twice before the pandemic got the best of everyone and in 2024 when I was invited back for the “Shindig Revival”, and so, I went.

I’m sure a few of you who will read this have met Billy. If you have been so lucky, then you will understand the rest of this story. Billy Reid is a designer. Sure. Yes, Billy Reid is a designer, and Billy Reid has a brand, and Billy Reid sells clothes and on and on. But Billy Reid is like no one else I have met in this industry. When you meet Billy, he makes you feel like you’ve known one another for most of your life. It’s a feeling alike a reunion, rather than an introduction. There’s a hug, and a real handshake. There’s a firm pat on the back. There’s a “Hey man” and a “We’re happy you’re here” there’s just nothing in the way.
So, I came back to Florence in October of last year and almost nothing had changed. I saw Billy. I ate good food. And on the last day after riding a bike which Billy found for me to borrow from the local shop, I hung out with Billy and took some photos.

Billy picks me up in his Jeep. We drive down to the creek, and he shows me the sites along the way. He points out W.C. Handy’s house on College Street. He shows me a few little boarded up houses on perched on mound-like lots and we talk about their fate. We park the Jeep at Wildwood Park and walk down to the edge of Cyprus Creek. The water is clear as glass and there are some geese floating with the current, and Billy asks me if I want to see the archive back at the office. And so, I went.

We park behind the shop and head through the back door in the alley. Billy pulls down Rubbermaid bins filled with T shirts. “This should fit you” as he stuffs a shirt or two in my non-camera-hand. He shows me early designs. William Reid tagged garments from pre-9/11. Clothes are brought out for 5 seconds and a story is told. The garment placed back onto the rail after disappears as a sliver between slivers. Billy has a story for each of those slivers, I’m sure.

Billy screenprints a few shirts from the archive for me. I ask him questions which I do not remember, and he answers with answers I do not recall. We have a really nice time doing next to nothing, and now it’s time for me to head back to pack for my flight.

Driving off in his Jeep, I have a little moment before he disappears onto College street. I think about how many more times I’ll get to go back to Florence. Will I be there just once more? Or twenty more times? Three Shindig’s in and I can only recall them being wonderful experiences filled with lovely people and incredible events. Here’s to Billy Reid and the world he has created for everyone in Florence.

Thanks, Billy.