What is FunTakers, how did it come to be, and those running the show behind the screen that separates us from connecting.
About Us
Hey there! Thanks for taking the time to learn more about our brand, our story, and the people who pour their heart and soul into this community. I’m Dominic, one of the three owners who started FunTakers, alongside Nicholas and Francisco. You’ll hear from them later on in this blog, but for now, I want to share my story and how we got to where we are today.
What's The Plan For FunTakers?
That's a fantastic question. As it stands FunTakers has several areas we currently excel at:
- We offer high-quality fabric clothing to local businesses, independent creatives, and event vendors.
- We design and sell our own merchandise, crafted in-house at FunTakers.
- We create and sell premium prints of our art and photography on a variety of materials including paper, canvas, and more.
- We provide affordable consignment opportunities for independent creatives and small brands.
- We attend events across the Southeast to promote organic growth and build connections with both local and out-of-state communities.
- We use the latest technology to give our customers a unique experience through our website and social media.
- We support and promote independent creatives and small organizations, helping grow community awareness and encouraging localized events.
At FunTakers, we’re working toward establishing a physical space where we can build on what we already do best while creating even more opportunities for growth and promotion for independent creatives and small organizations. Our future store will expand on our current efforts by offering:
- We will showcase the work of local artists and host gallery-style events to support those pursuing art full-time.
- We will provide a stage for bands, comedians, poets, and other creative groups to share their talents and connect with their community.
- We will host events featuring thrift, streetwear, and other fashion-forward vendors from within our community.
- We will offer hands-on workshops that explore a variety of creative outlets.
- We will aim to create inclusive spaces where creativity thrives, collaboration happens, and communities grow stronger together.
Through these efforts, we aim to provide a safe, welcoming environment for people of all ethnicities, nationalities, sexualities, and backgrounds to be their authentic selves and express their creativity. We want to help shape the future of our local community and be a net positive to society.
FunTakers is not here to be a typical lifestyle brand that flaunts wealth or status. We’re building something real, organic, and unapologetically different. Don’t just take our word for it, watch our actions as we grow and create together.
Dominic, U. - Owner:
My story starts back in 2015/2016 when I was in high school. These years were known as the "hype era," with brands like Supreme and Bape exploding in popularity. You were considered hip if you knew about them and rocked their designs.
Unfortunately, we were young and broke. With no way of affording these overpriced and sometimes mediocre clothes to flex on our peers, we did what we could: we researched. We found ways to source designs in less-than-ethical ways, directly from the same factories in China where they were made. We worked with English-speaking reps to find factories, then used middlemen in other countries to ship clothes safely without the risk of TSA seizures.
It worked. We got our hands on the hottest trends while staying on a small budget. Finally, we could flex on our peers and show off some style.
During that time, I gained a ton of knowledge in spotting fakes and replicas. From the tiniest details in design to the weight of the fabric and the stitching quality. I learned what separated cheap knock-offs from high-end products. At the time, I didn’t realize how valuable that experience would be, but looking back now, it shaped everything I do today. Back then, I just loved the process, the hunt, and showing my friends the newest pieces I’d scored.
After high school, I joined the Army and served as a 35T (Military Intelligence Systems Maintainer/Integrator). That chapter gave me the opportunity to travel, experience new cultures, and meet people from around the world. The people who impacted me most were the ones who lived authentically and unapologetically. From them, I learned how to do the same.
During those years, I grew as a person and started quietly brewing ideas about what I wanted to dedicate my life to. I thought about starting a business but wasn’t sure if it should be clothing or art. As my service neared its end, the pressure to succeed and the looming question of "what to do with my life" weighed heavily on me.
In 2021, I accepted a position at Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a Linux Cloud Support Engineer. It was a solid role, and I worked there for about two years. The transition from the military to the corporate world wasn’t easy. I barely had time to say goodbye to the people I’d grown close to, and before I knew it, I was packing up and moving from South Carolina to Utah with the help of two of my best friends, Nicholas and Cooper.
At first, things went well. I worked hard, settled in, and tried to make it work. But deep down, I wasn’t fulfilled. The paycheck was great, but I couldn’t see myself doing this forever. By the end of my first year in Utah, I felt hopeless. I could either keep following society’s definition of “success,” or I could take the risk and pursue something that truly made me feel whole.
During this time, Nicholas and I often talked about starting something of our own. Something that combined his art with my vision. That’s when the seed for FunTakers was planted. We knew it would take time, but we also knew it had the potential to grow into something special.
At the start, our idea was rough; just a dream of building a creative collective. But through countless conversations and brainstorming sessions, we began shaping FunTakers into a real vision. The core idea was simple: be the voice you want to hear and do what makes you happy.
As the vision grew, FunTakers became more than just about us. We saw how many talented, independent creatives were out there wanting to share their work but lacking the platform or push to go all-in. That’s where we realized we could make an impact by helping them share their work, promoting their voices, and inspiring them to pursue their creativity full-time.
Eventually, I returned to my hometown of Columbia, South Carolina. Being surrounded by the people I care about most gave me the motivation and support I needed to fully commit to FunTakers.
I spent sleepless nights teaching myself to code and building the website you’re on now. I tested fabrics, prints, and designs, sometimes wasting money, but always learning. I spent hours refining designs and obsessing over the details, the same way I did back in high school when I studied those expensive hype brands.
It wasn’t always easy, but I never burned out. Every lesson, every failure, every late night was fuel for the growth of this project. And eventually, that seed we planted grew into something we were finally ready to share with the world.
That brings us to today. FunTakers is about expressing creativity and sharing it with others. Along the way, we’ve met countless amazing, talented, and like-minded people who’ve joined us on this journey. Together, we’ve built a safe space where creatives can showcase their work, feel genuine appreciation, and inspire others to embrace their authentic selves. This is just the beginning and we’re excited to see where it grows from here.
Thank you for taking the time to read this glimpse into my life. I hope to meet you someday and see your creative side. Until then, take care and shine on.
Francisco, V. - Owner:
Dominic and I met in 2019, shortly after he arrived at our unit, the 501st MI Brigade in South Korea. I first saw him in the smoke pit while my friends and I were on our third bottle of vodka, playing video games in my room. He was on his way out to explore Seoul by himself, and all I could think was, “My god, that guy’s outfit looks fucking sick.”
Once I had the pleasure of getting to know Dom, I realized my intuition was right. This guy has an eye for fashion and some of the deepest drive I’ve ever seen. In the middle of 2020, my roommate finally left South Korea, and Dom practically forced his way into moving in with me. A week later, the rest was history.
I was introduced to FunTakers a few months after Dom moved in, and I felt privileged to be brought into a passion like that. He looked at me and said, “Are you in?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, but of course my answer was a resounding yes.
Dom and I parted ways for almost two years while we finished our military contracts. Then, in 2023, when I was on the verge of homelessness, he reached out, offered me a place to stay, and said, “It’s time to get to work on FunTakers, man.”
Dom and this collection have been pivotal in anchoring my life back onto the path I’ve always sought, standing behind someone I can truly call a brother. This collection will succeed because of the sense of uplift and community we plan to create, for creatives like us who’ve never had a home to go to.
Nicholas, K. - Owner:
Hello I am Nicholas, I am the artist for FunTakers. I've always been drawing since I can remember. Since a very young age my approach and "technique" have remained the same for when I draw now. Throughout grade school I would simply doodle away through my classes, on the back of assignments and always on homework. I never made it a point to show people my meaningless drawings since I could never explain what it was I drew. I got better by high school, making my lines more clean and started learning Photoshop and other digital software to help expand my art. Later I found another artist on YouTube who helped me accept and really start owning my style of art.
I like to draw empty-minded. I don't have a goal or an image I'm already thinking about, I just start putting down lines and dots. The process to me feels more relaxing and really allows me to enjoy creating instead of worrying about the end result. Not every drawing comes out as a winner, but liking the process lets me create more pieces without feeling like I've wasted time. My friends and family have always been encouraging and some very honest, which is even more helpful.
I pursued art into college, realizing that the second part to this "art thing" was becoming a marketing master as well. Being able to promote your art was just as important as the piece itself. I ran a small art Instagram and made an online store to sell prints on clothing. It was a fun little experiment that helped steer me into this direction for FunTakers.
After many conversations about changing our lives we decided to bump heads and start working to the point we are at now. Dom had some coding experience and dedicated large amounts of time to teach himself more. I drew many designs digitally and some banners were prints cut from scanned drawings. I run all my art through the same filters on Photoshop to have some consistency between them. Most of the site and some clothing are made from huge large-scale drawings, then edited in Photoshop and cut into different drawings again. The website will continue to change art-wise as I grow artistically.
Now for the name. While working as a line cook at a local pub when I was still in college, my co-worker would refer to almost anything good or bad as a "funtaker." Good looking burger, funtaker. Bug in the kitchen, funtaker. Crackhead by the dumpster, funtaker. It just felt right choosing this for our brand name. FunTakers is an expressive collection, aiming for creativity, authenticity, and most importantly spreading joy. I am glad to be on this mission with some great people, allowing me to keep drawing my way and producing my art. I hope you enjoy, FunTakers.
Thank you for taking your time to learn a little about us. Below, we're sharing some more images throughout our journey and numerous other blogs which might be of interest to you!
