“What are you thirsty for?” is the question posed by a new clothing and apparel company just starting to make its appearance in local stores.
Flat Out Thirsty is the brainchild of three friends, one that has taken on a life of its own since the phrase was first uttered in 2011. The company is a collaboration, combining the talents of Renys President John Reny, Mexicali Blues co-owner Peter Erskine, and illustrators John and Flavia Riley.
According to John Riley, the concept for this new company was born sometime in August 2011 when Reny, Erskine, and Riley repaired to Schooner Landing Restaurant one hot afternoon for refreshments.
At the time, the bar was busy and the line for a drink was long. After raucously discussing the relative merits of their state of hydration, one of the three bellowed, “I am flat out thirsty!”
“It was either John or Peter who said it,” John Riley said. “I thought ‘hey’ … We just kind of kept kicking it around. It just wouldn’t go away.”
The beauty of the phrase is that flat out thirsty could apply to anything somebody might have a strong desire for, Riley said. Somebody could be flat out thirsty for world peace, or justice, or baseball, or a fruit smoothie.
“Right from the beginning we realized the places we could go,” Flavia Riley said. “It is not narrow. It is very broad.”
Fueled by good humor and guided by considerable business acumen, the concept quickly grew into an idea for a new business, something separate from Erskine’s and Reny’s already well-established businesses.
In the years since, Reny and Erskine have lent their expertise through feedback and suggestions but have largely left the bulk of the design work to John and Flavia Riley, both of whom are skilled artists.
Together, the husband-and-wife team from Bremen has taken the lead in doing the design work. Drawing on a children’s book they had written and illustrated together, the Rileys designed what has become the Flat Out Thirsty logo, featuring the character Riley Coyote, a name “too obvious” not to use, Flavia Riley said.
After almost three years of development, Flat Out Thirsty is about to make a bigger splash. While the possibilities are limitless, in the short term the partners have ordered a selection of men’s and women’s T-shirts, drinking glasses, coozies, and bumper stickers.
All are available in select Renys and Mexicali Blues stores in the Midcoast and Portland.
Flat Out Thirsty is also active on Facebook and a website is in development, John Riley said.
“The journey is just beginning and at the heart of it has been friendship and fun with a little soul searching and treasure hunting thrown in for good measure,” Riley said in a written comment. “What are you thirsty for?”
