Meet Your Neighbor: Radcliff Menge Opens Tom Beckbe in Middleburg

Written by Kaitlin Hill | Photos by Michael Butcher 

For Radcliff Menge, the mastermind behind the Tom Beckbe hunt attire brand, it all started with a jacket. “I had this idea for a custom jacket. I wanted a traditional, American-style, waxed canvas jacket made uniquely for me,” he shares. 

Originally from New Orleans, with family in Alabama and raised in Winchester, Virginia, Menge’s introduction to the sporting lifestyle tracks back to his childhood. “I grew up taking these long hunting trips with my grandfather, who was in Mobile.” He adds, “And growing up in Winchester, I [was] fly-fishing quite a bit, particularly for smallmouth on the Shenandoah. … My hunting locally was with friends after school.” 

Following graduation from Handley High School in Winchester, Menge earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia before pursuing law school at Washington & Lee. “That’s a lot of Virginia,” he laughs. 

While at W&L, Menge met his wife, Mary. The two lived and worked in New York City before moving to Birmingham in 2013, when his jacket concept started to take shape. “Between practicing law and starting a family, the [retail] business was a creative outlet,” Menge shares. “I tinkered with the design idea for a couple of years. In 2015 I had the custom jacket that would end up being the prototype for what is now the Tensaw jacket.” 

“I had this idea for a custom jacket. I wanted a traditional, American-style, waxed canvas jacket made uniquely for me.” –Menge

“I wore it around town and into the office in Birmingham, and people wanted to know the story of the jacket,” he remembers. “I had no grand scheme to leave the law firm. In fact, when I ultimately did leave, I had just made partner. It was this weird intersection of one career reaching its ultimate goal and another one just getting going.” 

Menge opened his first location in Birmingham in 2021. The name Tom Beckbe is a nod to his early days hunting with his grandfather. “His hunting camp was near the Tombigbee River,” Menge explains. “When we needed a name for our business, we pored over old maps of Alabama looking for something that had a cool historical connection but that was available for reinterpretation. We landed on the old French name for the river: Tom Beckbe.” 

“When we needed a name for our business, we pored over old maps of Alabama looking for something that had a cool historical connection but that was available for reinterpretation.” –Menge

He continues, “We realized that the name was unique in that it lended itself into being turned into a person, which would allow people to project their own idea of the ideal sporting man or woman.” 

The Nobel House in Middleburg is the brand’s fourth location and, for Menge, an opportunity to reconnect with Virginia. He jokes, “It is certainly a bit selfish on my part to have an excuse to come back up to this part of the world.” But more practically, he shares, “We already have a great customer base here from our e-commerce business … and if you think about the products we make and the person we gear them toward, what better place than Middleburg?” 

Beyond the clientele, Middleburg locals helped in the decision to open the first Virginia outpost. “I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Mark Metzger, who ran Highcliffe for many years. He approached me last spring and let me know he would be retiring and there would be an opening in Middleburg,” Menge shares.

The Reuter family, just next door at The Red Fox Inn, has aided in the process, too. Menge admits, “I ended up connecting with the Reuter family, particularly Matilda, [who] introduced us to Charlie Caroll, who was gracious enough to give us the space in the Nobel House.” He continues, “We really appreciate the Reuters and all they have done. They have made us feel so welcome.”  

Even more, the store will be managed by Niki Stephenson-Campbell and Manuel Simpson — two familiar faces in town. 

As for what shoppers can expect when visiting Tom Beckbe? In addition to the highest quality sporting attire and gear, patrons can be confident that they are supporting a business focused on customer care. “The company has this singular focus of supporting the customer. Our creative direction and decisions are all informed by our customers.” Menge continues, “It starts at the top with me being a sportsman myself, and most of our employees are either sports [enthusiasts] themselves or are married to one. [There] is a relentless focus on quality, functionality, and longevity.” 

“The company has this singular focus of supporting the customer. Our creative direction and decisions are all informed by our customers.” –Menge

Of the new location, which officially opened on October 11 with a celebratory ribbon-cutting, Menge says, “We’re just delighted to be here. Honestly, everyone has been great and I can’t say enough about our experience so far. We are so appreciative of our neighbors and the town.” He concludes, “I love being up here. It’s a great excuse to get back to Virginia and be close to people near and dear to us.” ML 

Published in the November 2024 issue of Middleburg Life.