I am 225: Meredith Waguespack

Meredith Waguespack would work all day if she could. The 39-year-old is thrilled every time she packs a Sweet Baton Rouge T-shirt or ships a Lagniappe subscription box to her customers. When she’s not at her office, she’s brainstorming ways to improve her brand. But she’s not complaining. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

Waguespack is the owner of Sweet Baton Rouge, an apparel and accessories brand. The eight-year-old company—formerly known as Southern Football Tees—sells Louisiana-themed T-shirts, baseball caps, mugs, koozies, makeup bags, pins, stickers and kitchen towels, as well as a monthly subscription package, Lagniappe Box.

The subscription box launched in 2016, sending subscribers a Sweet Baton Rouge T-shirt and locally made gifts such as beauty products, food, art and home goods. The goal is to provide local businesses with an avenue to showcase their products.

Waguespack also publishes Sweet Baton Rouge Insider, a monthly blog on what to do, where to eat and places to go in town.

Despite growing up in north Louisiana, Waguespack has a big heart for the Capital Region. The Claiborne Parish native hosted Sweet Baton Rouge’s first Local Pop Up Shop in December 2018. The five-day shopping experience at Perkins Rowe featured goods by local makers and artists. She plans to host the second event this December and wants to extend it by at least a few more days.

This year, she also started “Don’t Stop, Just Geaux,” a fitness challenge to motivate locals to exercise at least 10 minutes a day.

Waguespack says this is just the beginning for Sweet Baton Rouge. What started as a catchy T-shirt phrase eventually became a movement. Through her brand, Waguespack plans to keep supporting and uplifting the community, one T-shirt at a time. sweetbatonrouge.com

“These days, I’m the busiest I’ve ever been. By the weekend, my body is whooped. I try to give myself one day a week to not think about work, but it’s really hard. I just love what I do. It’s the most fulfilling job ever. I’m excited to continue to make a mark on Baton Rouge, and hope our customers feel the presence of home whenever they wear or visit us.”

This article was originally published in the May 2019 issue of 225 Magazine.