For 40 years, Billy Webster and his Shirt Shack have provided shirts, jeans and other clothing options to the city of Fort Scott, with some of those options being the closest ones available apart from a drive to Kansas City.
“I’m just lucky, I guess,” Webster said of being able to stay open such a length of time.
Webster, a Fort Scott native, first began screen-printing t-shirts in a 10×12 square foot building when he was just 18 years old when the trade was still new and rare. Since that beginning in 1976, Webster has added on to the building a number of times while also adding to the business.
While the Shirt Shack still provides screen-printing for shirts, Webster said he no longer travels with them such as for concert tours like he once did, saying he prefers to spend more time in Fort Scott. The business also does embroidery and cleaning and sells other clothes items such as a variety of jeans styles.
Lindsay Madison, executive director of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, pointed out that Webster and his business also invests in the city of Fort Scott by providing shirts for events and organizations such as Care to Share.
“He does contribute a lot to the community,” Madison said.
The Shirt Shack can be found near the intersection of 18th Street and Highway 69.
