Our Southern Roots

Hey y'all, I'm Alex Dunlap — the heart, the hands, and the whole soul behind The Otter Half. Pull up a chair because this is not just the story of a little shop in Rock Hill, South Carolina. This is the story of three remarkable women who poured everything they had into one boy from Greenville, and how everything they gave him eventually found its way into every single stitch, seam, and creation that leaves these hands.

It started with faith. My great grandmother planted that seed deep in my heart the way only a great grandmother can — quiet, steady, and absolutely unshakeable. But faith is not something that grows on its own, and my grandmother and mother never let that seed go untended. Through every season of life they watered it, nurtured it, and showed me by example what it truly meant to live with grace, lead with love, and trust that the gifts God placed in your hands were always meant to be shared.

Then came the needle and thread. My grandmother was a seamstress in every sense of the word — she had her very own little setup right there in her house and I can still see myself standin' there as a little boy, absolutely infatuated, watchin' those hands move like they had known exactly what to do since the very beginning of time. She did not just teach me a skill — she handed me a language. A way of expressin' care and creativity without needin' a single word. Every time I sit down at my machine I feel her right there beside me and I would not trade that for anything in this world.

And then there was my mother — the creative force who fanned every spark into a flame. She taught me that crafting was not just somethin' you did, it was somethin' you felt. That art in all its forms was a way of connectin' with the world around you, of leavin' something beautiful behind, and of sharin' a little piece of yourself with everybody lucky enough to receive it. She taught me to see possibility in every piece of fabric, every ball of yarn, and every blank canvas that came my way.

These days I am settled in Rock Hill, South Carolina — just outside Charlotte — with my husband Zach and our sweet little dog Pancake, livin' out every day with gratitude for the women who made me who I am. The Otter Half is my love letter to all three of them — my great grandmother's faith, my grandmother's needle, and my mother's creative heart all woven together into one little shop that I am so incredibly proud to share with y'all.

So when you hold somethin' from The Otter Half in your hands, just know that it carries a whole lot more than fabric and thread. It carries three generations of love, skill, and Southern grace poured into every last stitch. And that honey — is something no machine in this world could ever replicate.