Dear readers,
First of all, thank you. Thank you for reading and clicking whatever link brought you to this site. If you check Respect My Region regularly and that’s how you found us, I’d like to give you the real MVP trophy. It’s been a long road to get here. We still have so far to go but at this current moment, I feel like we have something really special happening.
Respect My Region (RMR), was a name that came to a depressed 20-year-old college drop out one day sitting around wondering if he should give up on music and move in with his parents or give up on music and get a job. You see, in 2008 when the recession hit, every single one of my four roommates and myself lost our jobs. Working part time at the mall had helped fund the necessities to get by. In-between selling beats and working in the studio, I was stuck. I had given up on college to pursue my dream, but found it out it’s hard to live on ambition alone.
I decided to move back home, and this name stuck to me. Respect My Region. As I moved back home with my parents and taking my old job back, this idea consistently ate at me. Enrolling back in school, my note books would fill with business ideas and hustle schemes, never actual notes. Once I started throwing events locally with my guy Andy Layman we came up with this idea to start a clothing line to supplement our income. I told Andy the name “Respect My Region” and two days and two logo designs later, we were ready for business.
Our first box of clothes cost like $400. It sold out in less than two weeks. We weren’t even able to get our web store up before selling the second clothing drop. RMR built its name over the course of the next two years, hundreds of meetings in my garage burning blunt’s (sans Andy, he doesn’t smoke!), and event after event. Working with Mike Champoux and recruiting Joey Brabo were some of the real stepping stones to build this brand. We did over 100 events in two years (while going to school…and I worked two jobs).
Fast forward to the past few years. We’ve switched from a clothing line to a clothing line with a blog, to a blog with a clothing line, to becoming a full on media company. We are currently putting out 120 articles per month and working on unique projects with the region’s top music talents and cannabis brands. Within our first year of going stictly focused on content and media, we have been awarded by Seattle Weekly as the best ‘online only publication.’
This is just the journey of Respect My Region to this point. The biggest things have yet to come, I am stoked to show you guys what we’ve been up to. Stay tuned!
Thank you,
Mitch Pfeifer Founder
Also a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart to Andy Layman, Jake Miller, Joey Brabo, Mike Champoux, my brother Matt, Paul & Brindi, Taylor Roberts, Isaac Lainer, Brian, Kaitlin, my mom & dad for the loan that one time… or two times, Dom, Dylan Opplet, Dustin Adams, Dallon Campbell, Nic Murph, Rob, Bean, Fran, K-Bird, E-Hunt, Sal, Chase Van Halen, Fife, Cam, Schtony, JJ, the rest of the PAC, Martin Van Londen, Luck-One, Eighty4 Fly, Sadistik, Stephen, Royal Sports (Jan & Randy), Rawspace, Leenie, Kev, Tane, Kid Money, Val, Matt K from Someone Clothing (more than words), Tyler & Nicole, Cam & Dani, everyone who used to help fold tee shirts all night at my house… fuck I love you all forever for that, TS, Javi, Dyllyn, Young Mitch, Breeze, my yaks family, Big Bang, Jacoby, Krazy aka Luther, Coast, Fifteen, Jake Scotty, Jared, Ceddy, Seth, Derek Muller, Talon, The WSU crew that let us sleep on your couches (Mike, Gannon, Kyle, Jeremy, Kevin, Beef), Fume Sick Clothing, Skin and Soul Tattoo, Anton, Barry, everyone whose ever supported us, and all of our staff over the years… and every single person from the Northwest putting their blood sweat and tears into their passion… damn.
