Rising Stars: Meet Travis Weaver of Houston, Heights

Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Weaver.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In November 2012, Travis launched Manready Mercantile from his Houston apartment with minimal money and no investors. He began by hand-pouring soy candles on his stovetop, using reused whiskey glasses as containers—products designed to appeal to men as much as women.
He sold these candles locally—door-to-door, at flea markets and craft shows, gradually building a customer base one person at a time.
The line quickly expanded to include apothecary items, leather accessories, grooming products, pantry goods and other high-quality items. Many of these products were crafted in small batches and focused on unisex appeal or “man-ready” design, which was still uncommon at the time.

After a couple of years selling online and through partner retailers, Travis realized he needed a physical space to expand the business. In March 2014, Manready Mercantile opened its first brick-and-mortar store in the Historic Heights neighborhood of Houston.
The store quickly became more than just a shop—it was curated like a general store, filled with rugged apparel, handcrafted goods, antiques, home décor, and whiskey-vessel candles.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not at all. This has been an extremely challenging journey with lots of highs and lows. Our biggest challenge of course was dealing with Covid and trying to keep our staff and bills paid during that time. We lost a ton of wholesale accounts, which was tough from the loss of revenue, but also the fact that many of the stores that we sold to were friends of our and it was terrible seeing them go out of business and lose everything they had worked so hard for. We took on a lot of debt like many folks and finally got ourselves out from under all that. We learned a lot of valuable lessons from it and have sense changed how we buy, what we buy, and when incoming goods are delivered to mitigate cash flow being held up. Having working capital on hand is key and to never have your eggs all in one basket as they say.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We’re currently focused on manufacturing more of our own goods which we manufacture right here in Houston. This includes candles, fine fragrances, leather goods, and more. These goods are sold in our storefront, to retailers globally, and on Manready.com. We’re proud to have become a household name in the community and online and the goal is to continue with the expansion of our offerings and how we market them to the public. We work harder than most and never give up in pursuit to deliver the highest quality goods to our patrons and can be found all under one roof.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
What was your favorite childhood memory? Growing up in Zephyr Texas was a whole other way of life that I miss dearly. I grew up with 22 students in my graduating class and the whole town maybe had 500 people in it. Heck, we even played 6-man football which most don’t even know exists. I loved the small town life that centered around football, hunting, fishing, and home cooking. Times were so much different then and I learn a lot about hard work and that nothing would be given to me in this life and that it would all have to be earned.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Manready.com
• Instagram: @manreadymerc
• Facebook: @manreadymerc
• Twitter: @manreadymerc