Experience-based shopping. It’s something Ron Chane says you’ll get when you come to his Fondren Corner boutiques Swell-O-Phonic and Soma. There’s no cookie cutter, sellout store here. With kitschy, catchy shirt designs that poke fun and reminisce, Chane says they’re constantly evolving. So much so, the 13+ year old business has completed its 20th renovation. “We’re not golfers, we’re skaters,” he said, “but you can come in and putt on our green for a discount.” With the help from an $8,000 office of economic development grant from the City of Jackson, there’s also something else that’s new: manual shirt screen printing equipment where Chane Mod Sushi, Project Chane and Jackson & Oxford shirts are produced for sale here, New York, London, and Boston. And, for custom shirt orders, it’s hands on for customers. “They can participate, push a squeegee, and see what it’s like,” Chane said.

And, in that vain, Chane is offering a sponsorship program where the customer logo is placed on the front and his on the back at a drastically reduced price. “You can actually come in, unfold shirts, choose ink, and help produce them yourself,” he said. These shirts are then given away at Fondren After 5 and other neighborhood events from “now until the end of time.” This serves as promo for your business or organization, and for Chane as well.

Chane says it truly is a one of a kind experience. “You can’t help but get something here, whether you buy anything or not. We offer something no one else does. And we have a cool dog, too.”