Building Luxury in a Small Town

What if a menswear store felt like a well-kept secret—part atelier, part clubhouse—where every piece on the rack earns its spot? We sit down with Donny Hubbard and Seth Box from Hubbard Clothing to unpack a three-decade journey of grit, mentorship, and relentless curation that turned a small Arkansas boutique into a destination for intentional luxury.

Donnie traces the early days under seasoned mentors, the resilience it took to navigate 2008, and the pivotal choice to buy out, rebrand, and eventually relaunch in Northwest Arkansas. You’ll hear how a detour to Louisville clarified values, how a surprise pregnancy fast-tracked a return home, and why putting Hubbard on the door was both a risk and a rallying cry. From there, the focus sharpened: a barbershop inside the store, a private lounge designed to spark word-of-mouth, and a service ethos that treats everyone like they belong.

Seth’s path—from wearing a bow tie to engineering classes to curating for a top specialty retailer—shows how taste is trained and why story matters. We go deep on brand selection: Ralph Lauren’s Original, Purple Label, and the guarded Double RL; Italian makers with centuries of craft; and the showroom trips where the team edits pieces collection by collection. The difference is curation over catalogs, narrative over noise, and a standard that makes price a function of quality.

We also pull back the curtain on growth: targeted, story-led content that drives real foot traffic without turning the brand into a billboard. Learn how “sniper shots” in social, meticulous QC, and hospitality-first service created nonstop momentum in a region exploding with new residents.

If you value clothing that carries meaning—and an experience that respects your time—this conversation will change how you shop. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves great craft, and leave a review to tell us what brand story resonated most.