How Shena Simmons Built the Ultimate Southern Gameday Brand

You know I love me a fall Saturday. A cooler in the trunk, a dip to share with friends in the passenger seat, and red and black on my back. It’s not just about football—it’s about the whole feeling. The energy, the loyalty, the “Go Dawgs” screamed at strangers who instantly feel like family. That’s why I just had to sit down with Shena Simmons, the founder of Stewart Simmons—a Southern-rooted, female-led brand that’s redefining how we show up for our teams.

Now, don’t hold it against her, but Shena is a proud Florida State grad. In fact, that’s where she met her husband when they were both undergrads. (I forgave her immediately when she admitted Athens is one of her favorite college towns.) She lives in Brookhaven, a suburb of Atlanta and just a stone’s throw from where I grew up, with her husband—a Dawg who got his masters at UGA, I might add—and their two kids. She’s as Southern as a deviled egg platter, originally from Pace, Florida, in that part of the Panhandle she calls “L.A. or Lower Alabama.”

In 2016, Shena did something bold: she walked away from a successful career in finance. “I was on maternity leave with my second child, miserable in corporate finance, and I just knew—I had to do something else.” Like so many of us, she’d been searching every Fall for gameday outfits that felt stylish, spirited, and Southern—but kept coming up short. So she created her own.

At first, it was just Etsy and school colors. “I used to be embarrassed,” she told me. “I have an MBA in finance from Emory, and now… I’m selling dresses on Etsy?” She laughs now, because nine years later, Stewart Simmons is sold in over 350 stores across the Southeast, and UGA gear is—of course—their biggest seller.

Let me pause right here to say: Shena gets it. I mean really gets it. “For Georgia girls, finding red and black is easy. But try finding garnet and gold you actually want to wear!” she said, half-joking but totally serious. “I’ve even memorized the exact PMS colors for each school. Georgia is PMS200. Alabama is PMS201. They’re close—but not the same. And it matters!”

Truer words never spoken. 

As a result, Shena’s business is as much about community as it is about clothes. “After all, it’s not just football,” she said. “It’s game night. It’s cooking food for the tailgate. It’s yelling ‘Go Noles!’ at a stranger in the grocery store. That’s the heart of what we do, and what drives me the most: that we foster connection and pride for 55 schools and counting.”

And we talked about the business side too. About Alumni Hall being their first retailer (and still their biggest). About how sales spike when teams win. And about how her husband—remember, the Dawg—is now their unofficial in-house football analyst. “He gives us projections,” Shena said. “Except when it comes to rivals. He refuses to say anything nice.”

This year, she’s brought on even more campuses—some of the smaller ones, like Vanderbilt, Furman, Mizzou. But she’s quick to say it’s not only about collecting logos. “It’s easy to say, ‘Let’s get every school,’ but not every school fits the Stewart Simmons customer. In other parts of the country, fans wear athleisure or just a T-shirt to games. Here in the Southeast? We dress up. And if you think we go big—go to Texas. They go all out.”

Every new school added, every new season launched, adding a kid’s line—it’s all intentional. “We build a new collection every single year. Launch day is August 1. That’s when we hit go.”

And here’s something that might surprise you: Shena Simmons designed everything herself up until last year. “I’m self-taught. I had to fake it ‘til you make it,” she said. 

She’s got moxie, this one. Shena is data-driven but deeply passionate, and it shows. “My happiest days are projecting sales,” she said, lighting up. “That’s the finance nerd in me.” But she balances the spreadsheets with style and soul.

Before we wrapped, she told me a story about one of her son’s friends showing up to her house in Clemson socks and a Florida jersey. “I said, ‘Do better next time.’” I howled. 

Feel the same, girl. Same.

Moreover, Shena Simmons is the kind of Southern woman I love to spotlight—smart, spirited, a little unexpected, and fully herself. She may shout “Go Noles,” but she’s got heart in Athens and hustle in Atlanta. And that? That’s about as Two-Sided Southern as it gets.

Here, I asked her a few of my fave TSS questions to finish us out:

Favorite low brow dish for a tailgate: Buffalo chicken dip. How do you go wrong with Buffalo chicken dip? It’s signature. The Frank’s Hot Sauce recipe. You need a Costco rotisserie chicken. I also do ranch and not blue cheese. 

Favorite high brown dish: Deviled eggs. Love them. Dress them up. Deviled eggs can be high brow. 

What did you want to be when you were younger? I wanted to be a vet. Or a dog trainer. That’s what my daughter wants to be now too. My daughter brought home a bunny and I thought, “Do I have to pay to send it to the vet?!” 

Was there any place in your hometown that was distinctly southern that you have to go back and visit it when you’re home? There’s an old school bakery in my hometown. It’s Milton Bakery in Pace, Florida, near Pensacola. The original got burnt down, so it’s nicer now. I would fill an entire bag with tons of bad stuff for like 35 cents. There’s also a drive thru fried chicken place where you can get a side of gravy. It’s changed names a couple of times, but you have to get drive thru fried chicken. 

Favorite high-brow restaurant in the South: JCT. Kitchen was so good. First restaurant I went to when I came to Atlanta. They had fancy fried chicken too. We also went there when I graduated college. 

Favorite low-brow restaurant in the South: OK Cafe. I just like fried chicken! One of the first places I went in Atlanta.

Most eccentric southern person you know: It’s hard to pick. There’s so many of them. I think of my aunt who lives where I grew up. She was a teacher and worked in school system and knows everyone in town. My aunt doesn’t leave the house much if she does, it’s not without makeup or dressed to the nines. However, she still puts on everything and I’m so impressed with the way she looks. The manners and everything is just perfectly Southern. I’ve never heard her say a bad things ’bout anyone.  If she’s gonna say something bad, she kinda makes this cringe face and doesn’t want to say anything. You know that face?

I do. I do.