*Editor’s note: We are giving away four PayPeRoute T-Shirts with this article. Enter here for your chance to win one.

Sharrod Reed isn’t surprised by the recent success of his lifestyle brand, PayPeRoute Clothing— he knows the many hours of hard work are simply paying off.

The Rochester native, who grew up in F.I.G.H.T Village just off of Joseph Avenue, said the message of the brand, the quality of the products and his team’s own hard work is behind the success of the growing brand.

“[PayPeRoute] is a lifestyle as well as a brand,” their website states, adding that those on their “PayPeRoute” are “self-sufficient go-getters” who follow their dreams. The moniker mimics “paper route,” a slang term where people chase a path to more money or professional success.

“Anyone can be on their ‘PayPeRoute,’ and that’s the message,” he said. “We’re working to spread this message and because of our products, our own ‘payperoute,’ it’s growing.”

“To me the best part is that it’s universal,” said Jerea Reid, about the brand’s message. Reid is the lead designer for the brand and helped launch the line, which was founded in 2013 but took off, according to Reed, in 2014.

“Anyone can be on their paper route,” she continued. “It’s not made for a specific person. We’ve had grandmothers and babies in our shirts. It’s for everyone. That’s the message that I love and what we represent. No matter where you are in your life you can always be on your ‘PayPeRoute’ no matter how much you have in your bank account.”

[READ: Designer Empowers Black Women]

The name PayPeRoute came from a cousin Reed was helping with music years ago. They created PayPeRoute Records but when the cousin later went in a different direction, Reed decided to develop the brand further.

“I started off helping with music and when he stopped, for me, it wasn’t just about the music,” he explained. “I think it embodied more than that. I always wanted to do something as far as clothing and in 2013 I decided to do it.”

Reed said he knew he was onto something when support for the brand came from more than just his own friends and family.

“I had the mentality coming in that if you can present stuff and they like it then you’re onto something. People usually support what you do because they know you. But I have people in California, spending $200 here, $300 there. Even some rappers support the brand though I’ve never seen them face-to-face.”

Reed has traveled nationwide, promoting the brand and working with other designers and companies. The website is frequently viewed by people in other nations, including far-flung countries like Venezuela, the Czech Republic and Pakistan. He’s also hoping that a recent move to Charlotte, NC for him and Reid will grow the brand even further. Reed said his drive is what separates him from other T-shirt companies.

“People do the T-shirt thing and they’re more or less from the hood and they just stay there and don’t make it as big as it could be,” he said. “We’ve sold stuff in Switzerland and California and almost every US city. We’re building the whole brand rather than just creating a T-shirt line and that’s what’s more typical.”

While Reed knew the brand’s success hinged on interest outside of his immediate circle, Reid remembers the day she saw someone wearing one of the shirts she’d designed.

“I saw a random person I’ve never seen before in one of my shirts one day and I’m like, ‘Oh my God. You’re actually wearing PayPeRoute.’ That was a few years ago. That’s when I thought: I think we have something here.”

Of course, they stress, all of the current success they see is due to their own hard work on their paper route. And they received additional help from Brandon Hymes who helps with the brand’s marketing and creative image and Kevin Stokelin, their Street Team Director.

“Overall, just PayPeRoute is a solid team,” Reed said. “Couple of people saw me doing it and supported it and they actually came on board. We really have a solid team.”

And it’s not just clothing. PayPeRoute also has its own video game app in the Google Play store, called Route Runnaz. Players clear levels by collecting money while maneuvering around sharks and snakes. The game was released at the end of last year and, so far, 10 of the 11 reviews are five stars. The main character of the game, Mickey, is actually based on a former friend of Reed’s, Glenn Jones, who was murdered when they were teenagers.

“The video game started from just a thought,” said Reed. “I actually just thought about it one day. People around me first questioned can we really do it. I told a good friend of mine, and he said ‘man, it sounds good but can we do it?’and that made me want to do it even more.”

This drive has helped both Reed and Reid take the brand to the next level.

“No matter where you are in your life you can always be in your payperroute no matter how much you have in your bank account.” – Reid

In addition to an app, the brand is planning to also release a movie in the coming months with viewings in Rochester, Charlotte and possibly Atlanta. PayPeRoute has also hosted mixers, photoshoots, various youth-oriented events and even a campaign to get t-shirts and books sent to inmates.

“It’s not just the typical movie,” said Reed “Usually, we have Menace II Society and things of that nature where everyone dies in the end or are super thugs. People from the inner city are into other stuff and they have a good head on their shoulders and that’s we want to show. So, this will deal with stocks and bonds, authors and people who property. It’ll show different avenues.”

The PayPeRoute team has been keeping busy, working to grow as a brand and as individuals, but always with a focus on the community and bettering others.

“We’re doing so much. We have our hands in a lot of different pots,” Reid said. “To everyone else I would just say, watch out for us.”

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”8″ align=”center” gal_title=”PRC”]