A Tale of Two Screen Printers
Communication and community engagement have been crucial to the success of the apparel screen-printing and embroidery company VilleSide Customs.
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Build Your Business: Shop Talk
Live Decorating: On the Road with Tees Part 2
Strap yourselves in because we are back on the road to complete our live-decorating adventure! This time visiting Equipment Zone and STAHLS’.
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Live Apparel Decorating: On the Road with Tees Part 1
Buckle up ‘cause we are on a mission! In the ever-evolving world of technology, there are so many ways to tap into your creative outlet and turn it into a lucrative business in the decorated-apparel industry.
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A Mountain of Opportunity in Decorated Apparel
Yellowstone T-Shirt Co. began in 1977 as a modest 720-square-foot building on Main Street in West Yellowstone, Montana, near Yellowstone National Park.
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Screen-Printing a High-end Denim Collection
In the beginning, Donwan Harrell and his wife, Jahayra, outsourced their company, Artmeetschaos’, garment manufacturing and printing overseas. But when minimum order quantities saddled the business with excess inventory, they decided to bring their screen-printing operations in-house.
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Living the Apparel Decorating Dream
Born in Belize City, in Central America, John Pinnington’s early childhood was not an easy one. But he has since gone on to make his dreams a reality by going into the printing and decorated apparel business, where a combination of hard work and a no-nonsense emphasis on service and quality had led to continued success.
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Embroidering to Scale
Seemingly ubiquitous as a cliché (e.g., the dawn of time), embroidery possesses a rich, ancient-like history. A timeless classic, the art can be traced back to the Cro-Magnon days, roughly around 30,000 B.C.
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Flying High
A love for aviation took Rocky Smith on a lifelong journey from pilot to apparel decorating specialist. Smith, who earned his private pilot’s license in 2001, has had a lifelong love of airplanes—World War II planes especially.
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Stealth Success
Rich Khun is a man of many talents. He began his career in 2004 as a graphic designer, creating among other things, CD covers, nightclub flyers and billboard designs.
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Design Differences When Using Different Decorating Methods
In the garment-decorating industry there are many different production methods available. Each method in turn requires a specific type of artwork and has certain specifications that need to be met in order for an image to be reproduced properly.
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Main Street Mogul
It’s one thing to build a single successful business in a half-dozen years, but four successful businesses? That’s been the reality for Nikkie Chadwick, president of Walnut Creek Apparel & Gifts located in Beloit, Wisconsin, a small college town an hour and a half northwest of Chicago
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Big Thinking Pays Off
Dawaud Muhammad already had built a name for himself in the urban clothing game before the apparel world would formally be introduced to San Leandro, California-based Big Printing T-Shirt Co.
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Making an Impression
The decorated-apparel industry has long been recognized as a place where creativity, innovation and giving back have become defining hallmarks of the community at large, especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected everyone — regardless of occupation or industry — in the last two years.
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‘We Know What We Do Well’
From beanies and blankets to caps and koozies. Messenger bags, sticky notes and writing tools, too — you name it and North Georgia Promotions can brand it.
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The Lady Print Boss
La Tonna Roberson always had a passion for apparel and design, but she had no idea the canvas she’d spend countless hours working on would be T-shirts.
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Printing the Dream
A lot can be said for hard work, a concept with which Justin Vu is all too familiar.
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Light in the Darkness
Amber Penny Massey experienced her first case of severe anxiety at age 22. Upon getting her master’s degree in emotional behavior disorders from Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, she worked as a special-education teacher in the Muscogee County School District.
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Change Agents
Six years ago, Scoreboard Sports started offering e-stores. And while several of the industry’s biggest players — Soccer.com, Eastbay and BSN Sports — already were striking gold with their own custom platforms, owner Sean Macklyn thought the initiative was worth the effort.
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In Full Bloom
In many ways, Ada Asenjo’s foray into decorated apparel exemplifies the quintessential journey on which many nascent business owners in this industry embark.
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Merch and More
When he was 17, Upstate Merch owner Dylan Gilligan was installing appliances for a New York Sears by day and practicing with his band at night.
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No Place Like Home
Sue and J.R. Howell own and operate Marshallton, Delaware-based Shacraft Inc., a home-based decorated-apparel business that offers screen printing, sublimation, embroidery and CAD-cutting services.
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Peaks and Valleys
Wendy Schenck-Benson’s first adventure in screen printing occurred in late-spring 1983 in Salt Lake City. The area had
record-breaking snowpack that melted because of a warm spring descended the mountains.
Gandy’s Rapid Growth
Phil Gandy calls it the “bulldog mindset” — that drive and ambition that was necessary when he started Gandy Ink in San Angelo, Texas, more than 30 years ago.
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Full Steam Ahead
Paul Whitmore still remembers the biggest job that rolled through Rhino Graphics. Not too long before a 44,000-shirt order came in, the San Marcos, Texas-based shop had just purchased an automatic screen-printing press.
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Printing at Pink’s
It’s probably no surprise that Dylan Houser and Woody Kumetat of Philadelphia-based Pink’s Inks love the color pink.
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Strong Roots
To say that California Roots Presents (CRP) is a dynamic and intertwined group of creative businesses may be an understatement.
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The ‘Aloha’ Spirit
“Hi, I like you.” It’s a simple phrase, but to Maui Screen Printing owner John “Johnny” Edelstein, it’s so much more.
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Eyes on the Future
There’s something unique about the apparel-decorating community. Ask decorators about their counterparts and what epitomizes the good things about the industry and — surprise — they won’t ramble on about themselves. They’ll actually defer praise to others.
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Embroidery and Monogramming in a Built-In Niche
When Nanette Finch opened Creeds & Crests Inc. 26 years ago, it was an experience that required her to, as she says, “fly by the seat of my pants.” Little did she know that she was perfectly equipped to handle such a scenario.
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Self-Made Sublimation
Donray Printing has a rich history — a classic story of a man and his vision. Founder Art Ferriola was first introduced to sublimation printing when he worked as a press man — and eventually salesman — for Devries Printing in Saddle Brook, New Jersey.
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From Service to Screen Printing
Jason Juranis is no stranger to hard work. His stepfather, a former marine who served in Vietnam, was a taskmaster who demanded perfection.
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Cause Central
In February 2018, during a lecture at Harvard Business School, Skya Nelson was asked how his company, organic sweatshop-free boutique apparel maker Fed By Threads (FBT), was going to change the minds of today’s corporate consumers regarding sustainability.
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Coming Up ‘Roses’
Peter Daneyko was first introduced to large-format sublimation by his business partner, Joe Werner, whose friends in the printing business brought the trend to his attention.
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Self-Taught Success
Drue Nickerson was only 11 years old when he began his T-shirt journey, drawing cartoon characters on garments with fabric markers and selling them.
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Training Through Threads
Eden Autism was started in 1975 as a nonprofit organization to help individuals with autism. The organization has made many strides in varying areas, including opening a school and offering adult services and various other outreach programs.
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Repping Rad Clothing
In 2014, Mel Lay founded Gladstone, Oregon-based SandiLake Clothing to satisfy an unmet demand. She saw a trend in “statement clothing” for children, as well as matching sets for kids and adults.
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Stumbling Upon a ‘Hit’
Stuart McKown doesn’t have a long history in the decorated-apparel industry. In fact, he was in a different industry during the country’s most recent economic recession in 2008.
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Putting in the Work
Don’t quit your “real jobs.” That’s what everyone told Adam McCauley and Ryan Dost, co-owners of Michigan-based Sandlot Sports LLC, when they floated the idea of starting the business in 2008.
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Following the Signs
Fortunately, Doyle Rogers is as good at reading signs as he is at making them. When he took over his father’s Bridgman, Michigan-based sign shop in 2003, he soon realized the company was missing out on a lucrative business opportunity.
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Putting the ‘Custom’ in Customer
When a large retailer arrived in Elmira, New York, in 2011, bought a local sporting goods company and left behind its affiliated decorator, Michael Maloney saw an opportunity.
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Tipping the Scales
Every successful company has a “secret sauce,” that special element that allows it to rise above the competition and achieve prosperity. The ability to identify and fulfill a niche is, and always has been, key.
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Opening New Avenues
Portland’s at-risk youth get job training and useful workplace skills through screen printing thanks to this local nonprofit.
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Retail at High Tide
At first glance, Virginia Beach,Virginia-based Surf and Adventure Co.’s past appears rather complicated. But based on the retail shop’s current status, it seems that its history has positioned the printing business for a solid future.
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All in the Family
This Texas screen-printing shop has found success by sticking to its foundation.
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Life’s Calling
She smokes cigars and drives fast cars. But looking past the wafting smoke clouds and revving engines reveals a different side of Suzanne Whatley, owner of Branding Matters! LLC.
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A Music City Match
This Nashville, Tennessee-based graphics and screen printing shop embodies a true rags-to-riches tale
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Shop Talk: Positive Signs
Glenn Robbins’ vision has always been to help people find their way.
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Printing With Purpose
A Brit’s trip across the pond inspired a T-shirt business with a social mission.
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A Different Decorator
Stephen Terrell wanted to prove the naysayers wrong when they said his way of doing business wouldn’t work. That desire ultimately catapulted his company, Print Works, to notable success in a relatively short time period.
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Keeping It Local
In 2005, Tom Rauen was working as a bartender in the small college town of Dubuque, Iowa, and — like most new college grads — wondering where life might take him next.
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Shop of All Trades
Large, high-volume printing shops don’t just appear. It takes years of
hard work to grow into a successful apparel-decorating business.
Process Engineering
When Michael Rothermund got laid off from his fourth job in the engineering industry, he knew it was time for a change — and all signs pointed to the T-shirt business.
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A Much-Needed Jolt
It started in his high school graphic-arts class in the 1990s. That is where Jason Lansdell, owner of Rome, Ga.-based High Voltage Prints, learned about the printing industry…
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‘We Are Good Fellas’
In its current incarnation, Goodfellas Merch is the ideal high-volume screen-printing business. It boasts three automatic and two manual presses…
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Powered-Up Printing
It seems fitting that Hi Voltage Productions, Mike Ritchey’s aptly named apparel-decorating business, occupies a former 5,000-square-foot electric power station.
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Rapid Rise
It took Andrew Blood six years to regain his independence after an accident, and he’s been working almost non-stop since to make up for lost time…
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Climbing the Ladder
Howard Potter always wanted to own a graphics-based business. That dream came true in 2003 …
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True to its Roots
Yellowknife, Northwest Territorries is home to more than picturesque views and the Northern Lights. Sarah Erasmus, co-founder of Erasmus Apparel (EA), has made her dreams come true there, creating apparel for residents and visitors alike.
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Pushing Boundaries
The secret is simple, really, according to Rich Santo. Success not only comes when you can creatively and efficiently deliver on promises to your customers, but also when can push the limits.
Rolling the Dice
Sometimes, an opportunity comes along and you just have to take it. Whether it’s a sure bet or a leap of faith, a new and different path can pay off handsomely.
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More Than Luck
Absolutely Specialties proves you don’t have to be the biggest decorated apparel shop to be one of the best.
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