Customized t-shirts can be a fun way to add to a memorable touch to an organized event. Years later, you can pull that shirt out from the bottom of your dresser drawer and see the little printed letters on the fabric and just like that, the memories will float back.
Jerry Kozak, owner of the Ypsilanti T-Shirt Company, understands your dilemma. His business is making sure you and your attendees will never be stuck with an itchy, too loose, ugly t-shirt again. The store opened up walking distance from campus in a recently renovated strip of buildings. It provides custom embroidery and printing for everything from student groups or the military, to people looking to purchase a unique gift.
“We started it in 2008. First office was over here in Ann Arbor in our little shop off South Industrial,” Kozak says. “Because we started to get a lot of orders from Eastern, we just opened the Ypsilanti T-Shirt Company up in October.”
An extension of the Ann Arbor T-Shirt Company, the Ypsilanti T-Shirt Company is a product of a several year partnership between Kozak and Ricky Winowiecki, who have known each other since their junior year of high school and went on to attend the University of Michigan. What started with the young business partners printing out of their dorm rooms morphed into the company that it is now following their graduation. Ever since, they have been providing a local, affordable and high-quality alternative to buying custom shirts from online retailers.
Perhaps the most striking difference between the services offered by the T-Shirt Company and its online competitors is the unique and personal experience that goes into creating a custom tee. From the moment you walk into the shop, you’ll be bombarded by a menagerie of shirts on mannequins displayed throughout the store. These shirts present an opportunity to see the color of the fabric the way it appears in real life and get a feel for the material and fit of the clothing.
Kozak said, “The things with shirts, they have different feels, different textures, different colors and stuff. That’s one of the downsides of shopping online; you’re not quite sure how it’s going to look or fit. I’m always there to actually walk you through and consult on it, so you can get a much nicer, hands-on experience that you can’t [get] online.”
It’s clear that Kozak’s customers are an enormous priority by the multitude of services and dedication to providing the lowest possible prices. In fact, due to the lack of shipping fees, much of the merchandise that can be bought through the Ypsilanti T-Shirt Company is less expensive than its online-purchased counterparts. The company also provides speedy service, and they’re currently working to make the process even more efficient in order to better serve its clientele.
His employees are also an integral part of the business, said Kozak.
“We want to provide good, well-paying employment for all of our employees and a good lifestyle to go with it. Right now, it’s kind of tough because we’re at the start-up. Funds are tight, and everyone kinda has to work long hours, but ultimately we wanna get a grip on things to the point where everyone just has a good work lifestyle.”
The outlook for the small-but-successful company is optimistic. The Ypsilanti T-Shirt Company has been going strong for the past few years and shows no signs of slowing down. Its future is looking to be as colorful and comfortable as the shirts it has on display.
