At Threadbare, one of our core values is to embrace the unknown. This one’s a biggie, as it ends up creating a lot of opportunities for growth in our trade.
Embracing the unknown can include anything from screen printing on Yeti coolers to implementing an embroidery department with little-to-no previous knowledge of the craft. Sometimes, you just gotta trick yourself into thinking you can make it work, and then fake it till you make it!
Recently, we’ve embraced the unknown in some exciting ways. While our shop traditionally specializes in the water-based inks that provide those soft, vintage style prints, we’ve taken on vinyl heat pressing as a new option. Ultimately, this has allowed us to provide our customers with a new service: on-demand, heat pressed customizations.
So far, we’ve had the pleasure of heat pressing nicknames and other special requests onto the backs of the Bier Stein’s tees for one of their staff parties. It really made the tees extra special for each staff member!
Additionally, we were lucky enough to be able to offer on demand heat pressing at the 2021 Olympic Trials here in downtown Eugene, as well as gold/silver/bronze decals for some of the qualifiers. Using the metallic transfer material was extremely new for the team and initially gave them a hard time. Nonetheless, they went above and beyond to troubleshoot and, ultimately, complete the order!
While there’s been a learning curve, as there usually is with any new skill, the possibilities unlocked from taking on a new challenge are well worth the stress and uneasiness that often accompany new things!