Town Pride, a wholesale vendor known for made-in-America apparel and home goods, has announced that its first full franchise will open in State College, Pennsylvania. The city is home to Penn State University and has a vibrant community full of school spirit and local pride, making it an ideal spot for Town Pride’s high-quality, sustainably made products.
The wholesale vendor launched its franchise opportunities in May in hopes of giving communities an avenue for dedicated name-drop shops. Founder Tamara Moran says the first full franchise store in State College will be owned by Lisa Farren and is set to open in the spring of 2025.
“They’ll have a lot of gameday apparel as well as State College local-love merchandise,” says Moran of the new 1,000-square-foot store in central Pennsylvania.
To date, Town Pride has also awarded four limited franchises across the U.S., including in Maine, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin.
Moran describes the limited franchises as “a shop within a shop,” where retailers dedicate a section of their store to Town Pride products, dedicated to local pride of that community.
“We’re only opening limited franchises with existing customers,” she says. “The limited franchise model is very appealing to a lot of retailers because it answers what they’ve been looking for. What a lot of retailers want is quality goods customized to a designer and an area, made in the USA and made just for them so that they stand out to their customers. And that’s what our limited franchise does — we design product just for them.”
Moran adds that she’s hopeful for franchise opportunities to grow in the new year. She says the company has plans to debut at least seven more limited franchises soon, including in Alabama, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.
“Our goal for 2025 is to continue to operate more full franchises and limited franchises,” says Moran. “The limited franchises have already been successful, and we have more waiting for us to proceed with awarding the limited franchise.”
