gungirspear

Howdy all,

New member, first time poster and virgin to the world of shirt making. Before I say anything else let me first stress my appreciation and wonder at the loads of awesome information I've found browsing through these forums for the past several days.

Now, down to it! I have an idea for a t-shirt shop with (what I hope) is a semi-unique or fun twist and I'd like as many opinions on it as possible. As far as replies, I'm looking for brutally honest constructive criticism. Let me know what you think of the overall theme, the feasibility of the whole idea, things you liked or didn't like or things you think might be better if altered in some way.

One more thing before I start, please realize I'm not jumping into this head first. I have a ton more research and work to do before I come even close to the final vision I'm about to describe (a rock-solid business plan not being the least of it) but I feel it's important to get feedback now. I would hate to work towards a dream shop I've imagined for years only to find that it doesn't work : P

So here we go. Here's what I have pictured in my head.

Step into 1337 (pronounced "leet") Tees (name's a work in progress, but let's stick with it for the sake of the description : ) ). Take a look around. To the right of the door is an angled counter that runs parallel to the front and side walls. The front have glass displays with different t-shirts with custom designs in them. To the left of the door is a couch, love seat and coffee table facing a flat screen on the wall. Looking towards the back of the shop you see a long workbench with a couple Stahls digital 16x20 Maxx presses. Towards the back left corner of the shop a large portion of the walls are covered with plastic display boxes of featured t-shirt designs (ala Hot Topic) with shirts matching the designs in stacks in a rack below. Directly in the center of the store is a large cylindrical column, approximately 12' in diameter, with '1337' cut out and backlit on the front.

The shop is more remeniscent of a tattoo parlor than a shirt shop. The colors are dark but warm (burgundy/deep reds, blacks, browns). Incense burns on the coffee table. Music plays at tolerable levels from speakers spread out around the shop. The employees are dressed clean casual (jeans, t-shirts, etc.). You can see a computer behind the counter with a computer game pulled up on it. A few kids from the local high school are playing Guitar Hero on the flatscreen. A soda machine sits right to the left of the door.

You walk in and browse around. Most of the walls are covered with framed designs, photos and t-shirts. One section is devoted to local bands and has the sketches of the final designs used for their shirts and photos of the bands. You walk around the large column in the center of the store and find that it's hollow. Curtains are draped over the entrance and it appears a litte dark inside. You step inside and see two doric columns serving as podiums that each hold a large book, both framed inside a column of light from track lighting above. You approach one and begin flipping through the pages. Design upon design are layered in plastic protected pages (ala a tattoo parlor). There are dividers in each book that seperate the pages by artist. Instructions printed on the wall between the two podiums and made to look like an ancient scroll instruct customers to pick up to (one, two, three, four?) designs to use for their shirt. The designs are well varied but all possess a "tattoo" feel (think Affliction, not necessarily in design but in attitude).

You pick two designs, the first a tribal-style single-color design as a background and a stylized skull to go overtop. You leave the cylinder and browse the racks of blank shirts of different styles and materials and choose one you like. You approach the counter and give an employee the shirt and designs you chose and describe what location and size you'd like. The employee then goes to a computer, prints out the designs you chose at the size specified onto transfer paper, shows them to you to confirm it's what you want and then presses them onto the shirt right in front of you. Bam. Custom t-shirt with custom artwork just how you want it made right in front of you.

On the way out you notice a photo booth where you can take a free photo of yourself in your new shirt and post it on the wall next to hundreds of others.

That's about it. The main idea is a comfortable shop with the feel of a tattoo parlor where you can walk in and walk out in minutes with a shirt of your preference literally right off the press.

Comments? Likes? Dislikes? Strengths/weaknesses? Anything people, I'd love advice.

Thanks ahead of time, all.

 

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kimura-mma

Whew. Lots going on here. First off, I'd say you'd need well over $100,000 to get something like this started.

I think there is only a small niche market that will understand the name 1337 Tees. The smaller the market, the smaller the potential. If people don't know what it is, why would they ever walk in?

You seem to want to offer a great shopping experience, and I think you have some good ideas. But how are people going to understand what your store is and how it operates? Sometimes, the discreet feel of what you are describing could end up hurting your business. Abercrombie spent millions on the Ruehl brand and its in-store shopping experience. Consumers just haven't gotten it, because the stores don't look like clothing stores. As a result, all Ruehl stores are being closed. In my opinion, your brand name and store theme needs to scream CUSTOM T-SHIRTS.

I'd say your main competition will be MetroPark, Hot Topic, Epic, Journeys, Zumiez, Anarchy, Against All Odds, and anyone selling Affliction, Ed Hardy, Miami Ink, Brad Butter, Blac Label, Obey, etc. This being the case, the product needs to be top quality. And heat transfers just won't compare well at all. Waterbase, Discharge, Foil, Rhinestones, etc are all the rage now.

In regards to your product, what are you offering that is different? Customization? People can already buy tribal designs with stylized skulls. There needs to be a reason why someone will buy your new brand instead of an existing brand.

This is a huge investment on a concept that is untested. Maybe you can start out by testing the concept at an existing tattoo parlor. See if existing customers are interested in custom shirts. Or get a smaller location, like a mall kiosk, and do on-demand custom shirts.

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