Lamp Apparel Launches Flagship Store

Comfort is the name of the game for the new Short North store Lamp Apparel.

The T-shirt brand, which first launched online in February of 2013, got its name from the term "lampin.'" (Lampin' is essentially a slang term meaning "to relax.")

After working in California for a few years, Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, 31, co-founded the company with Scott Kaiser, 31. Both are Ohio State grads on a mission to turn out T-shirts with witty phrases, creative designs and comfortable fabrics.

Located at 815 N. High St. Suite A, the flagship store will hold its grand opening from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. this Saturday, June 7, during Gallery Hop.

We talked with the two about lampin' and why they chose Columbus as a launch pad.

-Taylor Starek, @taylorstarek

So what exactly is "lampin'" and the Lamp Apparel philosophy?

Fuss-Cheatham: "Lampin'" is more of a California word. It means relaxing, chilling, hanging out. It's just hanging out with your feet crossed. So our philosophy is just really having comfortable fabrics and unique and creative designs. It's really about relaxing.

Why have your flagship here?

Fuss-Cheatham: Whenever we first started our company, we eventually wanted to have a brick-and-mortar store down here in the Short North. This is obviously where you want to be if you have a store. One day, Scott was walking by this place, and it had a rent sign on the front. He called me up and said, "This might be the spot." We just couldn't pass on it. It was too good of an opportunity to take this next step in our business. I think just being on this corner in the heart of it all, where Gallery Hop is and all these new businesses and all these new apartment buildings and places where we like to hang out-they're all so close, and it was just fitting.

How did Lamp Apparel get its start?

Fuss-Cheatham: I think it started in college when we would all just be hanging out and people would crack jokes. Someone would say something funny, and we'd be like, "That should be a T-shirt." I think me going out to California and seeing people in ripped up jeans and T-shirts-that kind of was my inspiration. When I moved back, I got to reconnect with Scott, and he said, "Let's do something together that's fun." We wanted to be really creative.

Your favorite shirt in the store?

Fuss-Cheatham: I really like the C-Bus one. It just really embodied Columbus. That's one of my favorites for sure.

Kaiser: I like the one with the state of Ohio. It's simple and clean.