The Kentucky Shop
Retail Apparel and FashionKentucky, United States2-10 Employees
The Kentucky Shop, a Kentucky-focused apparel brand, is based in Lexington, Kentucky. It began in 2013 when founders Rick and Joni Paynter started printing and selling T-shirts online from a garage in Georgetown to support a local nonprofit, with an initial run of 100 shirts that sold out quickly. The business later expanded to festivals and a storefront, broadening its line of Kentucky-inspired apparel for residents and supporters of the Commonwealth. Its customers are primarily Kentuckians and others drawn to locally themed clothing. The company has engaged in charitable partnerships, including a 2017 t-shirt campaign to benefit DanceBlue and a 2022 collaboration with Christian Mission Ebenezer for Ukraine relief, reflecting ongoing community involvement. It remains a small operation with a focused team centered on its local-rooted brand.