Our Story

In July of 1995, tired of being bossed around, I walked off my job as an electrical apprentice and opened a retail store in the downtown area of my hometown in Northern New Jersey. I filled the shelves with all the products I loved, like t-shirts, music merchandise, and home decor. I worked in that store on my own for the first five years, and it became a meeting place for locals who loved music.

One day, a familiar face walked in, someone I remembered from my childhood. He was the owner of a local t-shirt shop at that just happened to be the same location as my store was but in the late '70s and early '80s. As we got talking, he mentioned that when he closed his shop, he put everything into storage. My eyes lit up as he told me about some of the items he had saved—it was like discovering a vintage time capsule. I made him an offer for the whole lot of stuff; it was truly amazing. When I was going through the vintage screen-printed t-shirts, one stood out. It had a silhouette of the downtown area, with the words "Beautiful Downtown" printed on top, and underneath, "Newark, New Jersey." That design stuck in my mind; in fact, I still have the t-shirt.

As time slipped into the future, I built a retail business and made nice living. I moved to a new town, started a family, and all of a sudden, it's 30 years later. But deep inside I felt like I was missing something. I always had a burning desire to create my own brand. I thought to myself, is it ever too late to fulfill a dream? No, not really! That's when that t-shirt design popped back into my head. I thought, what if I created a brand that celebrates all the beautiful downtowns we have across the United States and maybe even the World? That what if, turned into reality when I created Beautiful Downtown. I'm giving it my all and taking everything that I've learned from my life and business experiences, mixing it up and pouring it in to create a recipe that is designed to inspire and delight you.

So go discover the heartbeat of the city where culture, creativity, and community come alive—beautiful downtown awaits!

-Anthony Antonelli, Designer & Founder