INDIANAPOLIS — Rockland Page is an accomplished creative with an impressive resume.
“I was art director for Ebony and Jet magazines, and then I went on to the Chicago Tribune as art director there,” Page said.
The Arsenal Tech H.S. and Ball State grad then advanced his career with an engineering firm. But Page came to the realization corporate culture wasn’t for him.
“That was one of the most boring jobs I ever had in my life,” Page said. “I just knew there was more to me than just designing proposal covers and PowerPoint presentations.”
To fill the creative void, and with some encouragement from friends, Page found an outlet through making T-shirts.
“I took out a personal loan, like $10,000 worth of equipment, and started in my basement,” Page said.
“It was really just a form of self-expression, just a way to prove that I still had it,” Page said. “I had something to share with the world.”
And in 2020, the world noticed.
“This was in the midst of the pandemic, the police shootings, the riots, and everything,” Page said. “I think a lot of people wanted to support Black-owned businesses.”
Sales took off after Page was interviewed by a television station in Chicago. ROCKaBLOCK was ready for its own brick-and-mortar.
“I started looking at some places near my home in Merrillville [and] found a place that I thought would be a suitable storefront,” Page said.
It's where Page grew his brand for the next 3 years.
But something was missing.
“I began to wonder, ‘What is next step for ROCKaBLOCK?’”Page said.
The next step was moving the storefront to a new block here in the Circle City.
“There are a lot of things happening here that weren't happening back in 2000 when I left,” Page said. “I got a realtor, and he found this place for me at 1332 North Illinois Street. It was everything I needed.”
Page expects ROCKaBLOCK's Illinois Street location to open in February 2025.
"I'm seeing this place not just being a T-shirt shop or retail location, but a place where people can come to learn, create, and design," Page said.
ROCKaBLOCK has a stage where Page plans to host spoken word, music, and comedy shows. Page will also offer classes on screen printing and design.
"We really want to invite the community to come here and engage with us," Page said. "I want ROCKaBLOCK to be a destination spot for Indianapolis, not just to shop, but to play, learn, and have fun."
From Indiana roots to a global reach
Make no mistake about it, Rockland Page is proud of his Indy roots.
“I am a product of Indianapolis Public Schools,” Page said. “I had a lot of art teachers and instructors who really poured into me, who really saw my potential, not just a kid who just liked to draw pictures, but as an artist.”
Page’s friends also saw his potential.
“I'm still close to a lot of my high school friends to this day,” Page said.
Page still credits his friend Rob with coming up with the name, ROCKaBLOCK.
“I was on this school bus with my friend Rob, and there's a song on the radio,” he said.
The song: Busta Rhymes’ “Do the Bus a Bus.”
“My buddy just kept looking at me and saying, ‘Rock, a block, rock, a block, rock, a block,’” Page said. “Every time he said it the name just kind of stuck my head. I said, ‘I don't know how or when or where, but I'm going to use that name one day.’”
More than 20 years later, ROCKaBLOCK is much more than just a name.
"We focus on a lot of Black culture, things that are relevant in today's society, such as music, and hip-hop art, and we really thrive on telling stories,” Page said. “Our apparel and the T-shirts are just a canvas and the media we use to tell stories.”
While Page doesn’t have an exact count of his designs, a few have stood the test of time, including his "Freedom Fighters" design.
“That's a collection of hoodies, skateboards, pins, stickers, and shirts [which] feature the likenesses of great Black heroes such as Marcus Garvey, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois and Ida B. Wells,” Page said.
But these shirts go one step further thanks to augmented reality.
“When you view the shirt through your smartphone, the characters actually come alive and talk to you,” Page said. “I'm actually working to build my own platform to host these effects and make them more readily accessible to my viewers.”
Accessibility and visibility are vital for Page.
“It's very important to highlight Black culture because we've had to fight to be seen and heard,” Page said. “Even in 2025, I still feel that a lot of our history has been erased or overshadowed by other things going on in this country and in the world.”
Page remains focused on telling stories, one piece of apparel at a time.
“I just feel like it's part of my duty as a Black man to help share our history and the best way I know how,” Page said.
