Darian Trent’s new store in Bellport Village grew out of the 2011 Bellport High School graduate’s passion for being fit and looking good while doing it.

Trent named his store Fitnesse—a combination of fitness and finesse—and he’s filled it with men’s and women’s athleisure wear that looks as stylish going through the drive-through at Starbucks as it does pumping iron at the gym.

Think long-sleeve and short-sleeve tees, tracksuits, sweatsuits, shorts and two-piece sports bra and legging sets.

The look is all about “making fitness a lifestyle,” said Trent, 30, who played point guard for the Clippers and is an assistant coach for the boys JV team.

Trent opened his store in August.

He’d been selling online since 2019 and grew the business to the point where it made sense to add a retail location, which has been going well, he said.

“The community has been supportive,” Trent said. “The village has welcomed me with open arms. There’s a good vibe here.”

Fitnesse is the first business venture for Trent, who also works as a security guard at Bellport High.

But he learned a lot about running a small business from his mother, Keisha Butler, who sells a line of wigs and hair extensions, and from an uncle who has a restaurant outside Atlanta.

“She’s really business savvy,” Trent said of his mother.

“She gave me free rein, but told me I had to do something positive,” said Trent, who attended Suffolk Community College and Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University. “So every day, I’m pushing myself because that’s what she instilled in me.”

What’s up next?

Trent is launching an apparel line for kids, called AMT, which are his daughter’s initials, featuring tees and sweatsuits. And Trent is looking to open a store in Atlanta.

“We want to be a worldwide brand and compete with the Nikes of the world,” he said. 

The website is  www.fitnesse.store