The Start of Fourth Street: A Family, an Idea, and What Comes Next

by Holly Arend | May 13, 2026

Fourth Street Collective did not start as a brand. It started as a conversation that had been happening long before anyone gave it a name.

Four sisters, Susie, Mary, Emilie, and Maggie, along with their brother-in-law Andrew, each came in with different paths already in motion. Event planning, tech consulting, accounting, design, and finance. Different cities, different careers, but the same shared idea that kept coming up in conversation.

At some point, that idea stopped being hypothetical.

This is where Fourth Street began to take shape.

I had the opportunity to sit down with the Pilibosians to explore their inspirations, individual backgrounds, and the vision they have for the future of the brand.

Every story has a starting point. Take me back to the beginning. When did the first real conversation about creating Fourth Street happen between all of you?

It actually started with our mom. She called us over on a warm August morning for breakfast - one of her infamous "family meetings." She knew we had all been individually thinking about entrepreneurship ideas, and she sat us down and basically said there is never going to be a perfect time. You just have to go for it. What stood out most wasn't anything about our resumes or qualifications - she focused on something much more meaningful: the fact that we are a group of people who truly trust each other. We've seen one another navigate highs and lows, persevere through challenges, and consistently show up for each other. She knew our character better than anyone, and she reminded us that kind of foundation can't be manufactured. She told us we already had every piece of the puzzle - we just needed to open the box. And her two questions have stuck with us ever since: Why not us? And if not now, when?

Each of you came into this with different careers and experiences. How did your individual backgrounds influence the direction Fourth Street started to take?

Honestly, it would have been hard to design a better founding team if we tried. Mary runs her own event planning business, so she brought a real operator's mindset — she knows what it takes to build something from scratch and keep clients happy. Susie comes from technology consulting and strategy, so she's always thinking about how we scale, what the bigger picture looks like, and how we build something that lasts. Emilie is a tax‑specialized accountant known for her ability to command a room, blending technical depth with a clear, confident speaking style to turn complex financial data into conversations that drive understanding and action. Maggie studied art and design at Michigan, so our creative instincts are built in from day one — nothing goes out the door without her eye on it. And then there's Andrew, who comes from a finance background and is the steady, grounding force that keeps the business side of things running smoothly — and somehow keeps the rest of us running smoothly too.

What's interesting is that none of us came from fashion or apparel — and we think that's actually an advantage. We came at this from the angle of storytelling, community, and business, not product. That's why Fourth Street has always been bigger than a sweatshirt."

The concept of “Join the Family Business” is such a defining part of the brand. How did that message first come together?

That was Maggie. She came up with it, designed it, and once she put it out there we all felt that was exactly right. It captures exactly what we wanted the brand to feel like: inclusive, warm, like you belong here no matter who you are or where you come from. Maggie has always been the person in our family who wants everyone in the room. Growing up she was always the one saying ‘just invite everyone, the more the merrier’. That phrase genuinely is an extension of who she is. The fact that it translates so naturally to what we are building with Fourth Street Collective made it feel perfectly right.

Naming a brand is often one of the biggest early steps. Where did the name Fourth Street come from and when did it start to feel right?

Fourth Street is pretty simple — it’s the four of us. Four sisters. We wanted the name to mean something to us before it meant anything to anyone else, and having it rooted in who we are felt right from the start. And when you pair it with “Join the Family Business,” the whole thing clicks into place. That phrase means two things to us simultaneously — it’s an invitation for anyone who comes across our brand to feel like they belong to something, but it’s also a literal open door for family businesses, big or small, to partner with us and bring their own story to life through a collaboration. That dual meaning is actually at the core of everything we’re building, and it all lives right there in the name.

Once the idea started to feel real, the next step was turning it into something tangible. When did you decide that apparel would be the way to introduce the brand?

We kept coming back to the question of what the vehicle should be — what's the thing that carries the story into the world in a tangible way. It had to be something people interact with every day, something that sparks a conversation, something you'd actually want. A sweatshirt made sense because it's personal. You choose to put it on. You wear it out in the world. And when someone asks 'wait, what's the family business?' — that's the moment. That's the conversation starter we were looking for.

There's also something about a premium sweatshirt that feels universal. It doesn't matter your age, your background, where you live — everyone has one they love. We wanted something that felt like home, because that's what this brand is supposed to feel like. The apparel is the handshake. The story is what comes after.

Your first piece is the sweatshirt people are already recognizing. What was the creative process like designing that first product?

We knew we wanted to start with something that people would actually live in - not a piece that sits in a drawer or on a shelf. The sweatshirt had to be premium, the kind where you put it on once and don’t want to take it off. Maggie designed the ‘Joined the Family Business” graphic for the back, and then it became about how the front would look and what colorways felt right. The first two - maize and blue, and red and white - came pretty naturally. Maggie and Susie went to Michigan and that colorway made sense because Michigan was their community, their place.

Sometimes the first time people react to a product is when it really hits you that something is working. Do you remember the first time someone asked about the sweatshirt or the brand?

There have been a few of those moments and they never get old. Maggie wore hers to Yost and had someone literally lift up her hood trying to read what it said. Susie had friends approaching her asking, ‘wait, what is the family business?’ - and the answer being ‘we ARE the business’ was kind of a full circle moment. Those reactions told us we had something. It stands out, it sparks conversation, and that’s exactly what we wanted.

A big part of your vision is supporting family businesses. Where did that idea come from and why did it feel important to build it into the brand?

We kept asking ourselves: there are so many apparel brands out there, so many sweatshirt companies, what makes us different? And the answer had to be more than just the product. We grew up watching family members build businesses with their hands and work extremely hard. We know what that takes. We started noticing that those stories - the grandfather who started a plant, the family that’s been running a restaurant for decades - those stories don’t always get told. Nobody’s putting a spotlight on them. We wanted Fourth Street to be that spotlight. The sweatshirt is the vehicle, but the story is the point.

Family businesses often have stories that do not always get told. What excites you most about the idea of highlighting those stories through Fourth Street?

The people behind them. There is a restaurant in Chicago that Susie goes to all the time with her friends - they know there are many family members working there, but nobody really knows how it started, who built it, why they do it. That is the story we want to tell. We think people are genuinely hungry for that right now. There is so much noise on social media, so much ‘buy this, here’s my link’ - and people are starting to see through it. What cuts through is realness. A family that built something with everything they had. That is what we want to put in front of people, and the idea that we get to be the ones to help tell those stories and give back to the community is honestly the most exciting part of all of this.

Building a brand together is a different experience than building something alone. What has it been like working on this as sisters and as a family?

Chaotic and wonderful, honestly. We are four very different people - different careers, different personalities, different ways of thinking - and that is actually our biggest strength. Mary runs her own business and brings an operational mindset. Susie is an executor who thinks about strategy, scale and purpose. Emilie is our sweatshirt connoisseur and accountant. Maggie is the creative engine. And Andrew is our quiet, steady numbers guy who has somehow survived twelve years with all of us and lived to tell the tale.

What makes it work is that we already know each other completely. There’s no figuring out communication styles or building trust from scratch. We can be fully honest, push back, disagree - and then move on. We have the most ridiculous home videos and a lifetime of memories together. We were each other's best friends growing up. So doing this together does not feel like a business decision. It feels like the most natural thing in the world.

A lot of your brand is about storytelling and connection. How do you hope people feel when they first hear about Fourth Street or see someone wearing it?

We want them to feel like they’re being invited into something. Not sold to - invited and welcomed with open arms. The sweatshirt catches your eye and makes you ask a question, and then the answer opens up this whole world of what we’re actually building. We want people to feel the warmth behind it. To understand that this isn’t just a brand, it is a family that decided to build something meaningful and wants to bring other family businesses along with us. If someone sees one of our sweatshirts and feels even a little bit of that, we’ve done our job.

At the heart of everything is the message behind the brand. If someone hears about Fourth Street for the first time, what do you hope they understand about what you are building?

That we’re building a community, not just a clothing brand. Fourth Street exists to celebrate the people who build things — families who pour everything into a business, sisters who decide to bet on each other, anyone who has ever looked at the people around them and thought “let’s make something together.” The sweatshirt is just the beginning. What we’re really building is a platform for those stories — a place where family businesses get seen, where community gets celebrated, and where joining the family business means something bigger than just buying a product.

And if there’s one piece of advice woven into everything we do, it’s this: you are going to fail. Every successful person will tell you they failed over and over again before anyone ever saw their wins. People see the success—but they don’t see the attempts that came before it.

So to anyone on the fence about starting something, our message is the same thing our mom said to us on that August morning: Why not us? If not now, when? Take the chance. Believe in yourself. Open the box.

Because at the end of the day, we want to see you win—and we want the family business to grow. You can’t compete with us, because we’re rooting for you too. That’s the power of family.

What stands out most after speaking with them is not just what Fourth Street is, but how it is being built.

Mary is focused on execution, always thinking about how to turn ideas into action. Susie is the strategist, focused on structure, scale, and long-term growth. Emilie brings precision and clarity, grounding decisions in detail and logic. Maggie leads the creative direction, shaping the identity and visual language of the brand. Andrew brings financial structure and stability, making sure the foundation behind everything holds as it grows.

Each plays a different role, but nothing exists in isolation. Decisions overlap, conversations blur together, and the process feels less like a traditional brand build and more like a family figuring it out in real time.

Fourth Street is still early, but the foundation is already clear.

Not just what they are building, but how they are building it.

And that is what makes it matter.