Shawn Fitzwater was confident his latest mural wouldn’t hang around very long.

“If I got in trouble over it,” the owner of Fitz Hand Painted Signs said, “I could easily cover it up.”

But a funny thing happened on the painter’s trip to buy whitewash. The feel-good message of his mural – We Are All In This Together – struck home and, for now, the mural has a home, not just on a building in downtown Homewood but on T-shirts that provide food for health care workers.

Shawn Fitzwater talks about his uplifting Homewood message mural from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

Like many small business owners, Fitzwater has seen potential clients hit the pause button as the economy ground to a halt because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Beyond his bottom line, he wanted to inspire others.

“What can I do to give back through my business or give back through my skill set?” the 41-year-old wondered. “I thought, ‘What if I just paint a message somewhere, a positive message, maybe an uplifting thing for people to see and put a smile on people’s faces?’”

And the painter knew just where he wanted to put his message, on the north side of the building that houses Battle Republic, a boxing-inspired gym. He had talked previously with the business owners about using their bare white outside wall as a canvas.

However, this rendering would be an unsanctioned job, without their permission.

“I kind of know those people,” Fitzwater said. “Once they figure out it’s me (and), if they’re mad, I’ll cover it up.”

But the emotion evoked by the mural wasn’t anger. Fitzwater’s work, done under cloak of darkness and secrecy, brought a smile to the faces of the business owners, even if they worried about their landlord’s reaction.

Lindsey Miller, an owner of Battle Republic, said she was lounging at a lake when she got word of the mural from one of her coaches. He snapped a picture and texted it to her.

“I was, like, panicking a little bit because I didn’t want the landlord to think we did it and get upset,” she said. “My first instinct was definitely, ‘This is so freakin’ cool,’ but I really hope nobody gets upset.”

Miller alerted her landlord Pronce Acker, explained that it wasn’t her doing and asked, “Can we keep it?”

“He was like, ‘Oh man, this is such a great message,’” the gym owner recounted. “Once he was cool with it, I kind of got to where I could appreciate it a little bit more than be worried about it.”

The inspiration of Fitzwater’s mural hasn’t stopped at the wall. Vulcan Apparel Co. owners Michael Whitten and Drew Binkley have carried it further.

“Obviously with everything going on, it was just kind of an uplifting moment,” Binkley said. “Honestly, every time I’ve passed, it’s kind of been one of those things that you pass by and it kind of lifts your spirits a little bit.”

The business partners decided to lift more spirits by putting Fitzwater’s alternating black and white block text on T-shirts.

“What better way to combine both of our efforts and start a campaign,” Binkley said. “We can let people wear that mural and have that good feeling when they’re wearing it, and maybe help somebody that’s maybe going through a tough time.”

And the shirts have done more than just uplift. Vulcan Apparel sold the white T-shirts, giving all the money raised to BHMcares to provide food for health care workers.

“We haven’t heard the final number,” Binkley said, “but I’m pretty sure we ended at 255 (shirts sold). That’s just over $3,300 in money raised for bhmcares.com. It has exceeded our expectations.”

The campaign has fed medical workers through multiple restaurants, providing a boost to those struggling businesses. And while that campaign ended April 17, another one could launch if demand prompts it, the Vulcan Apparel website said.

As a result, Fitzwater said he feels the love.

“Just knowing that it is helping people,” he said. “To see people post and tag the mural (online) so many times during the day and then just put messages like, ‘Whoever did this, thank you so much.’ That made me smile.

“And with the T-shirt sales and the campaign, that’s probably right up there with it. That’s what it’s meant for and that’s what means a lot to me.”

(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)