Impressions - April 2019 - 33

Being located near the Texas State
University campus means Creeds
& Crests can cater to Greek
organizations and other
university students.

Creeds & Crests At A GlAnCe
C ompan y n ame: Creeds & Crests Inc.
address: 202 University Dr., Suite 105, San Marcos, TX 78666
Foun ded: 1992
n o. oF empLoyees : 9
deCoraTIn G meTH ods oFFered: Appliqué, embroidery, vinyl, monogramming and outsourced screen printing
C ompan y WebsITe: creedsandcrestsgreek.com

wasn't exactly foreign territory. Cue the
"fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants" description
of her entry into business ownership.
"After leaving the bookstore, I set up
my own business," Finch says. "Because
there are not very many sorority stores
across the country, I had to fly by the seat
of my pants for a while until I had a few
years under my belt."
Readily Available Retail
Make no mistake: Creeds & Crests is a bona
fide, 1,700-square-foot retail establishment
serving the localTexas State University and
surrounding sorority and fraternity communities. Finch says that niche comes with
a built-in customer base of about 38,000
students, a more-than-ample audience to
whom she can offer products and services.
But part of her learning-on-the-fly story
in this business included a lesson about
the absence of a retail space.
"I tried not having a retail space for
four years and what I found was that there
is always another business with a retail
presence ready to pounce on your captive audience when you are not readily
accessible," Finch says."I will never leave
the retail space again."
In addition to retail,Creeds & Crests offers
appliqué, embroidery and vinyl decorating.
Finch says offering these services in-house
boiled down to controlling delivery times.
"When I was at the bookstore, we would
often miss deadlines because the seamstress
did not get products back on time," she
recalls."I hire college girls and teach them
to sew. They like getting the store discount
and can make their own gifts."

The shop also provides camp uniforms
to a pronounced cheer market, which
mandates on-time delivery, Finch says.
Improving Quality & Consistency
The company's embroidery and appliqué
work is done on three Melco singlehead
embroidery machines and a Highland singlehead. Screen printing is outsourced due
to space constraints, and Creeds & Crests'
in-house embroidery digitizer even sets
up the screen-printed art.
"We outsource our screen printing
because we only have 1,700 square feet,"
Finch says."I had [offered] it in-house at
one time, but it is easier to outsource and
not have to pay for the square footage you
need at a high-dollar amount. I wanted to
be in the prime location for retail."
Finch says customer demand dictated
diversification instead of offering only appliqué,which was wildly popular."Appliqué
used to be the only thing the sororities and
fraternities would wear," she says. "Now,
with screen printing being so readily available online and around town, appliqué is
more for gifts than everyday wear.Vinyl
just happened by accident.We wanted to
create new shirts but didn't want to do
a lot, so we found out that we could do
some really cool stuff with vinyl and got
it going."
When it comes to marketing its products
and services, Creeds & Crests takes advantage of social media, spreading the word
via its Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
platforms. It also sponsors the Creeds &
Crests Classic volleyball tournament at
Texas State, where it offers gifts in kind

to coaches who, in turn, send them to
program donors.
Philanthropy and the Future
In her career, Finch has checked a lot of
boxes when it comes to accomplishments:
successful business owner; positive influence for community members and fellow
Greek organizations; and jobs provider (in
addition to employing five college students
and the in-house digitizer, her mom, aunt
and uncle help with sewing and paperwork
when the company is in peak season).
One of her prouder endeavors has been
working with underprivileged citizens in
Haiti to make items that she can purchase
and resell at Creeds & Crests. Finch says
she recently taught a woman how to sew,
and when she travels back to the country
this month, she will take pillow tops that
the woman will embroider and make into
pillows. Finch then will buy them so the
woman can make a living. She also will
take leather tools and items to teach young
men how to work with them, with the
goal of buying what they produce so they
can be sustained.
"I feel like I have been so blessed as a
business and as a person born in America
that I need to give back to those who do
not have any safety net," Finch says. "We
are so lucky that we have so many programs
here to help us.They do not."
Finch says expansion isn't on the
horizon at the moment. But if there's
one thing her years of experience have
taught her, it's that things can change at
any moment.
"I never say 'never,'" she says. 
APRIL 2019

P.33


http://www.creedsandcrestsgreek.com

Impressions - April 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - April 2019

Impressions - April 2019
Contents
First Impressions
From the Show Director
Overheard
First Look
Scene at ISS
It's Still Personal
Teamwork Makes DTG Work
4 Marketing Tactics To Try This Year
Shop Talk
Embroidery Production
Screen Printing Production
Direct-To-Garment
Impressions - April 2019 - Intro
Impressions - April 2019 - CT1
Impressions - April 2019 - CT2
Impressions - April 2019 - Impressions - April 2019
Impressions - April 2019 - Cover2
Impressions - April 2019 - 1
Impressions - April 2019 - Contents
Impressions - April 2019 - 3
Impressions - April 2019 - 4
Impressions - April 2019 - 5
Impressions - April 2019 - First Impressions
Impressions - April 2019 - 7
Impressions - April 2019 - From the Show Director
Impressions - April 2019 - 9
Impressions - April 2019 - Overheard
Impressions - April 2019 - 11
Impressions - April 2019 - 12
Impressions - April 2019 - 13
Impressions - April 2019 - 13A
Impressions - April 2019 - 13B
Impressions - April 2019 - First Look
Impressions - April 2019 - 15
Impressions - April 2019 - 16
Impressions - April 2019 - 16A
Impressions - April 2019 - 16B
Impressions - April 2019 - 17
Impressions - April 2019 - Scene at ISS
Impressions - April 2019 - 19
Impressions - April 2019 - It's Still Personal
Impressions - April 2019 - 21
Impressions - April 2019 - 22
Impressions - April 2019 - 23
Impressions - April 2019 - Teamwork Makes DTG Work
Impressions - April 2019 - 25
Impressions - April 2019 - 26
Impressions - April 2019 - 4 Marketing Tactics To Try This Year
Impressions - April 2019 - 28
Impressions - April 2019 - 29
Impressions - April 2019 - 30
Impressions - April 2019 - 31
Impressions - April 2019 - Shop Talk
Impressions - April 2019 - 33
Impressions - April 2019 - Embroidery Production
Impressions - April 2019 - 35
Impressions - April 2019 - 36
Impressions - April 2019 - Screen Printing Production
Impressions - April 2019 - 38
Impressions - April 2019 - 39
Impressions - April 2019 - Direct-To-Garment
Impressions - April 2019 - 41
Impressions - April 2019 - 42
Impressions - April 2019 - 43
Impressions - April 2019 - 44
Impressions - April 2019 - 45
Impressions - April 2019 - 46
Impressions - April 2019 - 47
Impressions - April 2019 - 48
Impressions - April 2019 - Cover3
Impressions - April 2019 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/202404
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/202403
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/20240102
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/202312
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/20231011
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/20230809
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/20230506
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https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/202303
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/20230102
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/202212
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/20221011
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/20220809
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/20220506
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/202204
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/202203
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/20220102
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/202112
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/20211011
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/DigitalDecorator_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/20210809
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/teamactivewear_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/202106
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/202105
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/impressions/imp_0421_digital
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20210102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/dd_fall2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nxtbook_bhtest/impwessons
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20201011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamactive_2020fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20200607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/dd_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202001
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/dd_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamactive_2019fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20190607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201905
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201904
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamactive_2019spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/dd_2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2018fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201805
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2018spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2017fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20170607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2017spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2016fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20160607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2016spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/digitaldecorator_2015fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2015fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20150607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/digitaldecorator_2015summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2015spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/digitaldecorator_2014summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20140607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_2014spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2014spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_sportsfanretailer_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20131011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2013fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20130607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2013spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20121011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2012fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20120809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20120607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2012spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20111011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20110809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2011fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20110607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2011spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201101
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_sourcebook2010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20101112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20100910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2010fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20100708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2010winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201003
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_200909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_eco_2009fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2009fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_200910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20091112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_sourcebook_200906
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201001
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com