We were lucky to catch up with Donald Muzio recently and have shared our conversation below.

Donald, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

Denis and I are much happier having our own business. We worked 9-5 jobs at big companies up until our early 50s and were pleasantly surprised to have a less regimented schedule. Although we probably work harder now than ever, it has been much more satisfying creating our own brand from scratch and watching it grow over the last 8 years.

Donald, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We started this business 8 years ago while we were both still in our longtime jobs. At first, it was just a side business but it seemed to snowball on its own thanks to social media. We had never owned our own business and it’s been a learning experience. It still is. Our tees and tanks are mostly geared towards the gay community but we have plenty of items that are for everybody, especially if you have a sense of humor about yourself.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I met my cofounder and husband 40 years ago and we have been together ever since. He was just finishing high school and I was done with year one of college when we met through a mutual friend. We thought working together after 30 years would be a challenge, especially from our one bedroom nyc apartment, but it hasn’t been. Luckily, we complement each other He was the best person I could have to spend time with, especially during the covid era.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think we built a good reputation and large following because we made our social media very personal. We post our customers wearing our tees and also our own life in NYC and travel. I’m always surprised when I’m introduced to someone and they say they already know me from Instagram. We have loyal customers that have been with us for years. It’s still just the two of us doing everything although people think we have this huge business.

Contact Info:

• Website: silberfuchsnyc.com
• Instagram: silberfuchsnyc
• Facebook: Silber Fuchs NYC