Kokomo Clothing Boutique Offers Quality Outdoor Apparel
Photographer / Jim Hunt
At P.F. Hendricks & Co., Lori Warren carries clothing that she describes as “trail to table.”
“You can go on a trail or a bike ride in it, and then go to dinner with grandma and not look like you’re in sweatpants,” she says.
Founded in June 2015, Kokomo’s P.F. Hendricks carries outdoor, travel and athleisure apparel for men and women. From Patagonia to Prana, the small, family-owned boutique prides itself in carrying American-made brands that are both environment and employee-friendly.
Although originally born in Colorado, Warren grew up in Kokomo, before working in the healthcare industry. After years of employment at hospitals in the Chicago area, however, she “decided it was time for a change,” moving back to Kokomo to be near family following the death of her mother.
During one fateful trip out to Colorado, Warren had the realization that maybe it was time to start a clothing boutique.
“My grandpa turned 100 out in Grand Junction — I have a lot of family out in Colorado because that’s where my mom was from,” she says. “When we were out there, we were like, ‘Wow. There are so many cool outdoorsy, mom-and-pop retail shops. There’s nothing like that in Indiana.’”
This “light bulb moment” is what led to the start of P.F. Hendricks.
“I’ve always been into outdoor activities and good quality clothes and apparel,” Warren says. “But you had to travel to Indianapolis and buy things online, and that just wasn’t optimal.”
Through P.F. Hendricks, Warren can now offer Kokomo residents with quality outdoor apparel, saving them a drive to Indy or elsewhere. While putting less gas in the tank, Kokomo customers can also go home knowing that many P.F. Hendricks products are environmentally friendly too.
“All of my brands are very environmentally conscious, so there’s a lot of organic cotton, hemp and recycled fabrics,” Warren says. “Everything is also fair trade and bluesign-certified. That means the people that actually make the garments are treated well, and they have halfway decent working conditions.”
When it comes to environmentally conscious brands, one clothing line Warren references is Tentree.
“They plant 10 trees for each purchase,” she says. “You can actually register your trees, and they’ll send you updates on how your trees are doing.”
Another interesting environmentally friendly clothing line you might find at P.F. Hendricks is called Free Fly.
“All their stuff is made out of bamboo,” Warren says. “Bamboo grows like six feet a day, so it’s good for the plants to cut them back. It’s super soft.”
With a new trail running in front of her shop — as well as a new Kokomo bike-share system — Warren sees a great opportunity to reach even more customers in her city.
“I think people in Kokomo are realizing that being active and paying attention to the environment go hand in hand, and I think everyone is benefiting from it,” she says.
P.F. Hendricks is located at 101 N. Buckeye Street in Kokomo. You can also visit them online at PFHendricks.com and give them a call at 765-450-6417 for more information.
