About Us

Justin's Store was established on July 1, 2024, three days after the tragic passing of Justin Martinez (right), who was hit head-on by a drunk driver in Champaign, IL.

Justin Martinez was known by his friends and family as an incredibly hardworking and goal-driven individual. Always planning his next move, he constantly sought ways to make money and support his family.

Growing up, Bryce Scheffler (left) and Justin were best friends who bonded over humor, sports, hobbies, and long-term goals. A shared dream of theirs was to start a business together and create ideal financial situations for their families. 

A few months ago, Justin found an opportunity to buy a significant amount of clothing merchandise due to a warehouse closing. It was a last-ditch effort by the owner to recoup whatever money they could. Curious about the opportunity, Justin called Bryce (and likely others) to discuss its potential. While Bryce recognized it as a good opportunity, he didn't have the time to help right away but offered to assist Justin with a website later on. Not wanting to let the opportunity pass him by, Justin wisely invested in the merchandise with the intention of using it to kickstart a storefront.

Tragically, just a couple of short months later, on June 29, 2024, Justin was hit head-on by a drunk driver while coming home from his full-time job and passed away. His plans were abruptly halted by unforeseen circumstances. At this time, only a few people close to Justin even knew he had started on this new store journey and had been moving the merchandise to a location on Green Street, located in the heart of the University of Illinois. Justin was waiting to tell more people about this until he had gotten more settled, but he had been making a lot of progress and putting in countless hours. He had been using an online social selling platform to get started and was already accumulating a following for his store.

Now, not wanting to let the hard work Bryce knows Justin was putting into his store go to waste, Bryce decided he would keep true to his word to Justin when he told him he'd build him a website for the shop one day. The merchandise Justin had originally purchased for his storefront will now be used in a fundraising effort for his family that Bryce is calling simply, Justin's Store.

Like many people who knew Justin, Bryce cherished their friendship and struggles to see any positive aspect of his passing. Justin's Store is a way to keep Justin's name, entrepreneurial spirit, and hopes for a storefront that supports his family going.

All proceeds from Justin's Store are donated to his family. Once the initial inventory of merchandise is sold out, Justin's Store will more than likely close.