Impressions - August 2013 - (Page 36)

Shop SPOTLIGHT Jersey Ink Risk and Reward Jersey Ink, a Reading, Pa. decorated apparel ﬁrm, has succeeded by offering marketing solutions centered on promotional items and targeted, reliable customer service. By Jennifer Morrell, Contributing Writer Originally started in the owners’ basement, Jersey Ink now operates from a 2,800-square-foot shop with a large store front in downtown Reading. The property includes four ofﬁces and separate rooms for setup and screening. Jersey Ink At A Glance Company Name: Jersey Ink Custom Apparel Address: 153 N. 5th St., Reading, PA 19601 Founded: 2006 No. of Employees: 4 Decorating Methods Offered: Screen printing, heat transfers, embroidery Company Website: jerseyink.net a s the T-shirt turns 100 this year, we are reminded that this versatile medium isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. And that’s good news for Susan Becker, owner of Reading, Pa.-based Jersey Ink Custom Apparel. According to SmallBizTrends.com, 50% of small businesses will fail within the ﬁrst year and 95% will close before their ﬁfth year of operation. Becker knew she was taking a risk in opening her screen printing shop, but seven years later, the company still is alive and kicking, offering custom screen printed apparel and promotional products. The story is not unusual: Becker and her husband, Bruce, launched the company in the basement of their Wayne, N.J., home. A couple of years prior, the couple had attended a home show, where 36 Impressions | August 2013 they visited a booth for Press-A-Print, an Idaho-based company that trained new clients to become independent business owners by decorating customized T-shirts and promotional products. When considering the Press-A-Print business, Becker remembered all the different T-shirts her children had received for each sport and activity in which they had participated through the years. “Everyone has dozens of T-shirts in their closet, so I had no doubt that we could turn this into a large, successful business venture,” Becker says. “That said, I bought the business and started Jersey Ink. First orders came from my children’s organizations and it grew from there. In summer 2007, our family of ﬁve moved to our current house in Sinking Spring, Pa. I brought the business with me to Pennsylvania and worked from my husband’s large basement ofﬁce. “In 2009, a retail space in one of our commercial properties became available, so we moved Jersey Ink into our current location,” she adds. “We receive walk-in business as well as orders over email and phone. A large majority of our clientele are repeat customers or referrals.” THE SETUP Today, Jersey Ink operates from a 2,800-square-foot shop with a large store front in downtown Reading. The property includes four ofﬁces and separate rooms for setup and screening. Becker says her production team can produce up to 1,000 shirts daily, but the average is between 200 and 300. All projects are printed on site at the Jersey Ink shop. impressionsmag.com http://www.jerseyink.net http://www.SmallBizTrends.com http://www.impressionsmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - August 2013

Impressions - August 2013
Contents
First Impressions
From the Show Director
FYI
Product Gallery
ISS Conferences
Digital Printing Opens New Doors
Feel-Good Fleece
10 Reasons Start-Up Decorators Fail
Shop Spotlight
Shop Spotlight
Embroidery Technique
Embroidery Production
Screen Printing Production
Screen Printing Technique
Online Directory
Classifieds
Ad Index

Impressions - August 2013