Big Frog Clearwater Celebrates Anniversary with Local Give Back and Shop Local All the Way Campaign
This December, Patrick Pierce will celebrate a year of owning the Big Frog Custom T-Shirts and More location in Clearwater. In the short time he’s been in business for himself, he has made a big impact on the Clearwater community, donating t-shirts to people fighting cancer battles, patients undergoing surgery, and for a fundraiser walk for the family of Deputy Michael J. Magli, killed in the line of duty in February 2021. Now Patrick enters the holiday season supporting “Christmas Combat,” which raises money for less fortunate Clearwater area families thru t-shirt sales, as well as joining the brand’s national Shop Local All the Way campaign.
Owning a Small Business
Patrick made the entrepreneurial leap to business ownership in December 2020 after having been in the finance world for nearly 14 years and wanting a change. And change he got! He and his wife were expecting their first child, but when the opportunity in Clearwater came available, he couldn’t turn it down.
His father-in-law was on the board of directors for Big Frog, so Patrick and his wife were familiar with the brand and its focus on local, community support. That resonated with them as well as the “family-friendly” hours.
“It was a bit of a crazy time because when we opened our daughter was just two months old, but it was such a good fit for me and my family,” Patrick said. “My wife was very supportive and, although our life changes were pretty huge at the time, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. The chance to support other local businesses and charities for this past year has been super rewarding and I’ve been able to be more present to watch our daughter grow.”
The Clearwater shop is the original Big Frog location, established in 2008 by co-founders Leeward Bean, Tina Bacon-DeFrece, and Ron DeFrece to provide “un-frog-ettable” custom apparel and t-shirts as well as unparalleled customer service to this tight-knit Florida community. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic retail struggles, the Clearwater shop was shuttered until Patrick came along.
A University of South Florida grad with strong financial and business analyst chops, Patrick has made Clearwater his home for more than a decade and now also makes it his place of small business ownership. His wife Kerry is a native of nearby Seminole who went to school in Rhode Island and returned home and married Patrick.
Giving Back to the Community
Heading into his second Christmas season, Patrick anticipates helping other families in need through charities in Clearwater and Dunedin, where Big Frog’s corporate offices are located.
He’s all in the just-launched Shop Local All the Way, a campaign to promote other small businesses nationwide. The idea is to support other neighboring businesses in communities by offering discounts, visibility on social media channels, and opportunities to win Big Frog swag and gear. With Big Frog leading the way, “all boats rise with the tide” and people are encouraged to “shop local” in small-town neighborhoods like Clearwater.
Patrick’s Big Frog is located at 1874 Gulf to Bay Blvd., Clearwater, FL 33765 and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Closed Sundays. Patrick also owns the territory nearby in the greater Brandon area and has plans to open a shop there in the summer of 2022.
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