Jack White, he of the fiery blues guitar and hand-crafted oddities, announced Monday on Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket that the custom baseball bat company he co-owns with founder Ben Jenkins and Detroit Tiger Ian Kinsler is moving into a new headquarters in Deep Ellum.
Warstic is set to open its new base in early 2018 at 2900 Main St. The store will fill many purposes for the sporting goods company, which was started by Jenkins in 2011 but drew headlines last year when White, rock star, and Kinsler, baseball star, signed on. It will be a shop, a manufacturing center, a bar and diner, and a batting cage. The news was revealed Monday on “The Hardline” before a Rangers-Tigers game in Arlington, fitting because of the connections of the company’s three partners. Jenkins is from Dallas, White from Detroit, and Kinsler has played for both the Rangers and Tigers. (The trio also promoted the company during a charity baseball game Sunday at John Paul II High School in Plano.)
Having Warstic HQ in Dallas is an exciting proposition in itself. Even if the $240-plus price tag of a hand-crafted custom bat is going to be prohibitive for some, it has other things going for it. There’s a whimsical, almost Willy Wonka-ish charm to a store like this in Deep Ellum, and there’s always the Zen-like sense of well-being that comes from watching balls get whacked in a batting cage.
But, full disclosure, I’m probably more intrigued by the prospect of Jack White hanging around Deep Ellum. While the man of many bands and two solo records has devoted much of his time of late to his record label in Nashville and other quirky, vintage undertakings — like a custom baseball bat company — he has maintained an idiosyncratic and enigmatic persona, and the White Stripes (R.I.P.) remain one of the 21st century’s most thrilling rock bands. (Put on De Stijl or watch a stadium of soccer fans chant the “Seven Nation Army” riff and try to tell me otherwise.) His style suits the neighborhood.
For now, here’s an over-the-top commercial for Warstic, complete with a roaring instrumental by White.
