The Story of Homestead T-Shirts

Don, Sharman, & Shawnee, 1978

In 1975, on the back porch of a small farmhouse in Gadsden County, Florida, Don and Sharman Franklin started a small business that would make a big impression.  

Shortly after graduating from Florida State University in 1971, the young couple took a cross-country road trip that changed their lives. While visiting the West Coast, they noticed people wearing canvas backpacks with silk-screened designs. Recognizing the potential of this new way of printing, they brought the idea home with them, and just a few years later, Homestead Handcrafts began silk-screening custom designs for local businesses.

They welcomed their first daughter, Shawnee, in 1975, and in 1977 relocated to their current home on a beautiful piece of land just north of the Florida-Georgia state line, where they would work to grow the farm, the business, and the family.  When Shawnee was a toddler, Don's parents, Grace and Andy Franklin, moved up from Miami to help with the business and be close to their new grandchild. With a background in entrepreneurship and sales, they were instrumental in helping to grow the company in its early years, and the growth started fast.

When Florida State University hired its new head coach, Bobby Bowden, in 1976, Homestead printed the first shirts of what would come to be known as The Bowden Era, when they put “It Begins With Bobby” on a T-Shirt.  Shortly after, in 1977, Homestead was one of the few screen printers near Plains, GA, and was asked to design and print one of the official Presidential Inauguration shirts for the newly elected Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale, with the shirts being sent to Washington, D.C., aboard “The Peanut Special.”  Later that year, when King Tut made his way to the United States on an American tour, Homestead printed commemorative apparel for the exhibition that would travel to 6 different cities across the country.

The business continued to grow, and in 1981, the family grew as well when Don and Sharman had their second daughter, Skye.

Shawnee and Skye grew up in the family business.  Playing by Sharman’s desk, watching the employees work, and eventually standing on stepstools to help. Over the years, they learned more about their business and the industry.  They learned to use computers and began taking on more responsibility. 

Today, Shawnee and Don run the day-to-day operations of Homestead T-Shirts.  Sharman has retired and spends her time gardening and tending the animals. Skye continues to work at the business part-time while pursuing her passion for helping animals through her 501-C3 charity, The Flying Pig Animal Sanctuary.  Skye’s two children, Gavin and Summer, have worked in the family business on and off over the years, but have other careers they are pursuing as well.  

Uniquely unique in today’s world, Homestead T-Shirts has provided old-fashioned service for over 50 years to customers ranging from Presidents to plumbers, and everything else in between.  And while much has changed since those early days on a back porch in Shady Rest, one thing has remained constant: the belief that when you combine hard work, creativity, and family, you can build something that lasts.

The Franklin family 2026