Lexington, KY - Growing up as a young lady in Leitchfield, a small community toward western Kentucky, Kristin Dixon was always taught to check the tag on clothes when she was shopping. As a child from a local clothing manufacturing family, shopping for "Made in USA" was a sentiment sewn into her browsing habits.
Dixon's grandfather, Osco Pharris, opened the Leitchfield-based Phar Shar Manufacturing in 1979; in its heyday the company's factory employed 550 people in the small community of just over 5,000. Through the years Phar Shar has produced domestic items for distinguished name brands such as Coach, Ann Taylor, Guess, Talbots, Lands End and Polo Ralph Lauren.
In fact, Polo was the company's biggest account. When Ralph Lauren approached Phar Shar, the fashion baron was only making men's ties, but was interested in producing a line of jackets.
"They made the coat, and I guess you could say the rest is history, because you know how big Ralph Lauren is now," Dixon said.
For 17 years, Phar Shar cranked out 10,000 Polo jackets a week. But, in the mid-1990s, with the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), many of the company's major accounts began relocating their manufacturing operations oversees.
To keep its livelihood, Phar Shar focused on the regional company B's Purses in Louisville, with whom they worked for five years. Then, with only two weeks notice, that company announced they were taking their business to China, which put Phar Shar in crisis mode.
"That's all we did. There were a few other little things that we did. So we either had to shut down - at that time we had 35 people - or figure out something else to do," Dixon said. "We decided to do something and not close the factory."
Instead of relying on making high-quality, made-in-USA goods for other companies, Phar Shar decided it would would work for itself, creating its own line of attire and accessories, including purses and handbags, luggage, table linens, baby items, and other products. The line was called Caught Ya Lookin'.
At the same time, Dixon, who was working for Dawahares in Lexington when that company declared bankruptcy, found herself without a job. She was more than enthusiastic to help her family's business during its transition, hitting the trade show circuit with her mother.
Upon the line's success in the wholesale market, which saw Caught Ya Lookin' items in over 450 outlets throughout the country, the company opened its first storefront boutique in Leitchfield, adjacent to the factory where the items were created; customers can actually see the items being created while shopping. Last year Dixon opened a Caught Ya Lookin' location in Lexington, first on Clay Avenue before moving around the corner to East Main Street.
Along with being able to browse through the store's inventory of classy and whimsical items, customers have the option to design their own merchandise, at no extra cost, using the hundreds of patterns and other variables, like design shape, available at Phar Shar. Dixon said the turn-over time for customized items is less than two weeks, a true indicator of the company's dedication to customers.
Along with its designs, Phar Shar still makes items for other companies, such as Rag n' Bone Jeans and The Jean Shop, as well as Amish pants and apiarist - beekeeping -
wardrobe for Walter T. Kelley Company. Appropriately for this time of the year, Dixon says, the holiday stockings Caught Ya Lookin' manufactures is the seasonal hot item.
For Dixon, who majored in fashion merchandising at the University of Kentucky, running a small local business can be tiresome and time-consuming, but it's a passion that has been hemmed into her professional disposition.
"You think small business owner, and you think you can do your own thing, but really you don't have time to do anything," Dixon said. "Waking up everyday, I love coming here. I have to come here six days a week, so I may as well love it."
For more information and store hours, visit www.caughtyalookin.net.