EP 486: Building A Texas Lifestyle Brand Through Community

What makes Carrie Ermence with Lone Star Roots a good neighbor?

We talk with Carrie Ermence, founder of Lone Star Roots, about building a Texas lifestyle brand rooted in community, identity, and showing up consistently over time. She shares how an idea she first explored in 2016 came back to life after the 2020 reset and how she turned it into a brand that connects with both lifelong Texans and people who chose Texas as home.

We dig into what “Love where you come from, root where you are” means in practice and how Lone Star Roots creates apparel and gifts that reflect Texas pride in an authentic, grounded way. Carrie also shares how stepping into pop-up markets helped grow the brand, including early experiences where she learned by doing and built momentum through real-world connection.

If you’re interested in Texas entrepreneurship, small business branding, or community-driven business growth, this conversation gives you a clear look at how consistency, visibility, and local engagement turn an idea into something real.

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Lone Star Roots

https://www.lonestarroots.com
+1 (469) 952-7225

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of your Texas lifestyle company? Well, you have been looking for it and you just found it. So today I have your good neighbor, Carrie Ermans with Lone Star Roots. Carrie, it's great to have you on today. Now we are so excited to learn all about you and your business. So go ahead and tell our listeners just a little bit more about your company.

From 2016 Idea To Launch

SPEAKER_02 0:39

Yeah. Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me on today. Um, this is, I love doing things like this. So, and I love your energy as well. So um, Lone Star Roots, it was it was born in 2020. So we actually had this idea back in 2016. Uh, we sat on it for those four years. Life happens, right? Life sometimes just gets lifing. And I was a former teacher in Frisco. Um, so I raised my children, my kids went off to college. Um, let's zoom back to that 2020 where we all were kind of sitting around and those those several weeks or however long you want to look at that. And my husband and I looked at each other and we said, What about that trademark we let we started back in 2016? So we took a look back at it. We decided to just go ahead and launch this thing, and here we are today, almost six years later.

Defining A Texas Lifestyle Brand

SPEAKER_01 1:29

Wow. How beautiful. Thank you for sharing that story with all of our listeners today. Now, Carrie, being the founder of this company, I have to ask you, you know, what does Texas really mean to you? And give us a better visual of what a Texas lifestyle brand really looks like.

SPEAKER_02 1:49

Ooh, I love that question. Well, our motto is love where you come from, root where you are. Uh, we moved to Frisco in 20 years ago. We moved here in 2006. Um, we came here from the Midwest. Um, my husband's from the Northwest. We've kind of lived all over the place. So, with that being said, we have been here for 20 years. And we are those people who got here as fast as we could, and we've never looked back. And so when we were coming up with our design for our logo, our motto, it hit us. We were like, this is the perfect thing. Love where you come from, root where you are. So no matter whether you're that native Texan, you got here as fast as you could, or you just simply love Texas. We are that brand for you.

Marketing Through Pop Ups

SPEAKER_01 2:35

I love that. Now we're gonna go ahead and switch gears here for a moment. Now we do know that marketing is the heart of every business. So ideally, who are you looking to attract? And how are you letting people know about your lifestyle brand? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 2:53

So, you know, uh letting people know about us is it's been one of those things where we had to get ourselves out into the community. Uh, we actually didn't have a pop-up in our business plan. We never even thought about doing a pop-up market. So in 2021, in March of 2021, there was an advertisement for us uh for people to go to Salina Friday Night Market. Salina's just down the road from us here in Frisco. We literally bought a tent on the way to the market. And so we didn't know what we didn't know. Um, us being in the community has been everything. And that's that's part of our, that's part of us uh who we are as Lone Star Roots. Uh, very, very proud about not only being able to bring you the best uh gear in Texas, but also to be able to be that brand that is able to give back. And so we felt that it was very important for us as a family to be out there doing those things, being in the community, giving back, um, and having people just love where they come from and root where they are.

Giving Back Across North Texas

SPEAKER_01 3:53

Wow, that is so amazing. And, you know, getting into giving back for a second, where do you give back?

SPEAKER_02 4:02

Oh my goodness, girl, do you have the day and time? Um, I I immediately jumped in and uh with both feet. It started with me becoming an ambassador for the Frisco Chamber of Commerce. Um, I'm still an ambassador to today. Um, from there I went on to becoming the chair for women empowering business for the Frisco Chamber, which I absolutely love, empowering other women in their journeys, whether as an entrepreneur or whatever it is that their next step is. Um, I'm also very involved in the city of Salina. I serve on the board of directors uh for the Salina Chamber. Uh I have spent the last three and a half years on the board for Refresh North Texas, a nonprofit near and dear to my heart, um, that serves our children from ages zero to 18 with essential hygiene products. Um, I recently rolled off of that board, but it is was such an honor to serve on that. So you'll see me jumping in and also Frisco Women's League. That's another thing I've been involved with for the last five and a half years. Um anywhere that I feel that's you know, with with people, uh same energy and with that idea of too much whom much to whom much is given, much is expected. So you you know, having that good balance, being able to give back, serving our community, and just making this place a little bit better.

Where To Shop And Follow

SPEAKER_01 5:21

Wow. Wow, Gary, you are a remarkable woman. Thank you for sharing that with us. And I love that you emphasize off of to whom much is given, much is acquired. If that couldn't be, you know, a model for my life too. So I completely understand that. Now we've discussed some great information today, but I have to ask you, where could our listeners go to learn more about Lone Star Roots?

SPEAKER_02 5:46

I love that question too. Well, first of all, I would love you to go to our Instagram page. We are on Instagram uh at Lone Star underscore roots. You'll also find us on Facebook uh at Lone Star Roots. Uh, we have a suite inside the Lone Star Mercantile in Allen. Uh, it is our honky tonk suite. It's our love, it's our love letter to Texas when you walk in there. Um, you'll find everything in there from t-shirts to aprons to hats to fun gifts from around the state of Texas.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

Wow. Wow, Carrie. Well, it's been so lovely having you on the show today. We wish you and your business the best moving forward here. Thank you, and thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 6:27

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpfrisco.com. That's gnpfrisco.com or call four six six six six six six nine two two two two two two two two two two two two one nine three four four four four four five.