LB SUPPLY CO + LB908 MERCH COLLAB

By John Grossi

“Part of the fabric of the neighborhood.”

There’s never been a store that embodied that phrase more than LB Supply Co. In fact, for many locals around the store’s location on Anaheim and Molino, LB Supply Co IS the neighborhood fabric.

LB Supply Co is here, quite literally, to “supply” Long Beach with clothing, whether the store’s own design or not, which is something that owner Bruce Soth takes a lot of pride in.

“About a third of our business is just selling blank clothes. Some guys will come by and get fresh white tees once a week.. sometimes they even walk over with no shirt on because our fresh tee is their last stop before they get their night started,” laughs Bruce.

Putting The City Into Authenticity

Bruce’s journey into the local clothing business is a story as authentic as the store he runs. His dad originally opened the location on Anaheim and Molino as a “Mail + Wireless” store. Bruce worked with his dad each day after school, helping customers with a variety of services from mailing to copying to phone repair.

But as the teen attended Wilson High School, he noticed a trend. Everyone on campus seemed to be wearing fresh white tees and new era hats. Bruce convinced his dad that “Mail + Wireless” should add a new product line; i.e., begin selling some clothing wholesale. His dad agreed to give it a try… and the endeavor was successful.

Talking to customers, Bruce and his dad quickly realized there was a market for custom print-on-demand apparel for funerals, events, family reunions, and company logos. Bruce learned Photoshop and digital printing, and that also became part of their business.

Then Bruce did something that changed his life forever. While still at Wilson in the early 2000s, he printed a custom shirt for himself with Long Beach written in cursive on the neck and an “LB” monogram in Old English font on the sleeve. He wore it to Wilson and around his neighborhood and people started going crazy for it.

“No one was really selling Long Beach apparel back then… I know it seems crazy now, but a good Long Beach shirt was hard to find,” says Bruce.

“Representing the city” became the niche that would set him over the top. Over a decade later, Bruce has since bought the shop from his dad and rebranded the store, but today LB Supply Co still specializes in the three basic concepts Bruce hit-on back in high school: 1) fresh blank tees and hats; 2) custom on-demand printing; and 3) authentic “urban-wear” Long Beach designs created by Bruce himself.

The Collab

For LB908’s first ever merch collab with a local brand, we wanted to partner with a brand as authentic to Long Beach as we consider ourselves.

LB Supply Co is truly authentic, not just because of the store’s roots but by the way it’s become part of its neighborhood. Head into the store and shop around for some new merch and you’ll experience something special: a neighborhood shop like they don’t make anymore. Locals walk by, or ride their bikes, or park their cars and yeah, half of them are there to re-up on apparel, but the other half are just there to say “hi,” or chat a bit and watch a little sports on TV, or wave as they pass by.

Whether it’s Bruce working the counter or his sidekick Jason, it’s clear that people in the neighborhood genuinely like these guys and consider the store both a place to shop and hang out. Yes, they are truly part of the fabric of the neighborhood.

When it came to design, LB Supply Co pitched in their most classic “LBC” logo and paired it with our trademark slogan, “Life is Great in the 908.” We hope you like it! As Bruce says, “Our LBC logo was introduced in 2011 and has remained a top seller ever since.”

The LB908 + LB Supply Co collab merch is available for purchase both at LB Supply Co and at the Fair Trade Long Beach Retail Collective in the LB908 section.