Pine Hills angler combines fishing and fashion into a successful entrepreneurship – Orlando Sentinel

Black people thrived in cities and small towns 100 years ago.

The owners of land, houses, and new vehicles owned businesses. They were often attacked, murdered and driven out of the town. July Perry (a successful Black labor broker and farmer) attempted to register Blacks for the vote. In 1920, Perry was executed during an Ocoee Massacre.

We will be continuing our photo series by comparing the Black business owners of decades past with today’s. They are interwoven through their stories and shared by the same spirit and struggle.

Trevor Davis is a FedEx driver and has worked in Daytona Beach since December 2008. He saw an old Native Angler shirt on a man he was driving. The man asked him if he would take a picture.

“That made me proud, and I was smiling from ear to ear,” said Davis, 37, who grew up in Pine Hills, the youngest of five children.

Native Angler Apparel is a line of performance fishing wear and outwear for women and men. With the assistance of President Donald Trump’s stimulus check, he opened the company more than two decades ago.

Davis was 4 years old when he carried his Fisher-Price Snoopy fishing rod on the first trip to bluegill fishing with Uncle Willie Turner. It was at Blanchard Park, Little Econolohatchee River. When the boy was not paying attention, his uncle put a fish he’d caught onto Davis’ pole.

“I still remember how hard it was to reel in that bluegill, and I’ve been hooked on fishing ever since,” said Davis, who, as a single father, began looking for ways to earn extra money while also making his son proud.

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“I like to fish, and I like to look good while fishing,” he said, adding that he has always been into fashion. “When I was growing up, since my mom was a single parent, I didn’t have all the nice things as all the other kids did.

Davis, a Floridian Native Floridian, sought the best name for his company. However, Native Angler was already taken. Like many things, timing is everything. He received an email two months later confirming that he was allowed to use his name. He contracted a company to design his fish head logo, copyrighted it and set up his website: nativeanglerapparel.com.

“No matter what state you’re from, you can be a Native Angler,” Davis said with a smile.

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Two years ago, the business was open. Sales tripled during the second year.

“I started from the bottom, I’m humble, and I keep on going,” Davis said. “A lot of people don’t know that starting a business isn’t easy. You got to believe in yourself.”

On social media, his posts are motivational and about life’s situations, not just fishing.

“I try to motivate everybody. If I can do it, you can do it. But you’ve got to believe in yourself, and you got to have friends that believe in you, too. Without them, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing,” said Davis.

Davis loves to fish bass tournaments so he gives back by taking youth anglers along on his boat to tournaments. He offers a ride, Native Angler gear, and some advice.

Native Angler is the proud seller of more than 12,000 T-shirts. Davis took photos of Native Angler clients wearing his clothes.

“I went down to Jamaica, and people from the States were asking me who made that brand, and I said I owned it. And they said, ‘for real?’” said Davis. “It’s hard work. I don’t get a sale every day, but I keep pushing. I started off believing in myself, and if you believe in yourself, someday it’s going to happen.”

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