Right now: We work out of a 425 sqft studio workspace on 1st Ave S, just west of Qwest Field. The space has been amazing to get us started in the world of screen printing and managing a graphic tshirt company. The only problem (well... there's a few) is that we've outgrown it.
The 8ft rotary screen printer fits snugly in the 10ft x 15ft room that includes a conveyor belt dryer, flash dryer and 3 work cabinets. A second room houses our computer, printers, samples and exposure box. Did we mention windows? Oh, no we didn't... that's because we're in the middle of the building with only one door and no way for air to circulate. Let me tell you... it gets toasty in here.
The bathroom (which we don't use for our personal businesses) doubles as a "light safe" darkroom where we have screen racks, a pressure washer and a spray out booth that drains into the bathtub. We know... classy.
We're also on the second floor (no elevators) and have to buzz our customers in for meetings and pick ups. And not that we want to spend a lot of time bitching about our current space... but you know the worst part about going to Mariners/Sounders/Seahawks is the traffic and parking situation. Well... welcome to our lives everyday.
NOW THE GOOD NEWS: The NEW Choke Shirt Co. + Print Shop will open in September in a 1500 sq ft. space at the corner of Holgate and Airport Way in SODO. The space is a flexible use industrial style commercial unit in the newly built Holgate Square retail complex. The space has a large garage door in the front and a 500 sqft loft mezzanine. The space will include everything mentioned in our old space, as well as the full line of Choke tees, hoodies and baby apparel.
We'd love to post pictures of the space... but it's not even built out yet!
Why SODO you ask? Many people ask us why we don't open a retail location in a busy Seattle "walking" neighborhood like Ballard or Fremont. And here's the answer: We don't want to run a retail store: with retail hours, retail weekends and retail customers. 75% of our business is destination based (customers who need screen printed tees and are willing to travel outside of their neighborhood to get them). We love SODO. We love the industrial feel of this neighborhood. It's relatively easy to get in and out of being that it is so close to I5 exits and the city. Plus we enjoy the community feel and the flexibility of the neighborhood markets and festivals that we participate in and will continue to be a part of those.
On that note... we'll leave you with a few pictures of the outside of the new shop. Stay tuned for more info about the space and our Grand Opening shindig to be held sometime in September!
