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Midtown's Lucky Lefty’s recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. Despite the skepticism of nay-saying college career counselors, who called the venture a "stupid idea," and the uncertainty of Californian economic prospects, the clothing shop is thriving.

Co-owner Brennan Williams says, growing up, he and his friends’ interest in clothing brands stemmed from a fascination with the subcultures they represented. Williams noticed that other young people who shared his interest tended to resort to travel or the Internet to explore emergent brands, instead of investing in Sacramento’s own scene. 

Inspired by skate stores like FTC Sacramento and PLA Folsom, Williams and his friends -now partners- Corbin Dahl, Derek Hironaka and Ryan Matsuura, began to consider the logistics of investing their passion into a shop in the center of their hometown. Just over a year ago, they dove head-first into the project. 

Williams describes the process of opening a business as hectic and fast-paced. After deciding on a location in August 2008, Williams quickly found himself signing a lease. This was followed by one and a half months of tearing apart the space and constructing a shop interior from scratch. To save money, the founders took the construction upon themselves. The doors of Lucky Lefty's opened for business as Williams graduated from UC Davis.

Lucky Lefty's blog categorizes its genre of clothing as "streetwear," but it's more like an eclectic collection of personal tastes. 

"There are skate, cycling, hardcore, psychobilly, sports and hip-hop influences from S.F., N.Y., Seattle, L.A., S.D. and Honolulu...," Williams says. "And then there are refined items like APC denim from France, and Porter wallets from Japan. Also, we have produced several of our own items that have sold out, and we plan on delving further into that this coming year." he continues.

Based on turnouts to events and sales hosted by Lucky Lefty's this year, Sacramento seems to have embraced the venture. Williams attributes part of the shop’s success to the fact that he and his partners are “only a year from being in the position of the consumer... We can relate to them well.” Lucky Lefty's has already achieved a loyal following in Sacramento and, today, Williams considers many of those composing his clientele as friends. 

“We want people to be proud of Lucky Lefty’s like we are, and I think we’re getting there." 

Lucky Lefty's reputation has extended overseas. Currently, about a third of Lucky Lefty’s blog hits originate in Asia and Western Europe. Williams aspires to develop the shop as a representative of what Sacramento has to offer with the creation of a “Sacramento-inspired product.” Lucky Lefty’s is also interested in facilitating cultural exchange in Sacramento, and works with people in Japan, South Korea, Singapore and several places across America to maintain a diverse and growing brand selection. Lucky Lefty's blog is updated almost daily, providing views and descriptions of new products. In addition to product updates, the blog's content ranges from designer profiles, film and music reviews, local photography, to "a look into the dumb shit we do." 

Lucky Lefty’s has hosted several events to promote local artists and musicians, including hip-hop shows with Illecism and C-Plus, photography exhibitions with Neek and Colby Elrick, and a screening of "Macaframa" at the Crest Theater last January. Williams is optimistic about the possibilities of the upcoming year.

“I think the silver lining of this recession is that it has affected creativity and do-it-yourself culture in an interesting way," he says. "People can't just throw money at something anymore, so hopefully 2010 is full of good things."

 For more information on collaborative projects and events in the works at Lucky Lefty’s, visit their website or Twitter.

 Lucky Lefty's is located at 1924 16th St. and is available at (916) 706-0505.