Meet the Guys Who Make Your Shirts! Part III

Today we meet Brian.  He joined the company last year after sending us some freelance designs.  We just couldn't get enough, so we convinced him to stay with us full time.  Today he was busy printing hundreds of shirts.  In between squeegee pushes and sweat-wiping, he answered our questions.


Choke: How/when did you first hear about Choke?

Brian: I was drawing at my desk when my roommate looked over my shoulder and remarked, “You should put that on a shirt!”  The next day, I passed a sign for custom screen-printing in SoDo.  It was destiny!  As soon as I got home, I found Choke on Facebook and “liked” them right away.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Choke: You started as a contract designer and now are a full time employee, what’s that been like?

Brian: Designing original graphics is what originally attracted me to work with the Choke crew.  The shirts caught my eye because they were unique.  They didn’t try to be like everyone else.  That idea inspired me to get creative when offering my first designs for the line.  Today, we incorporate that creative style into everything we do.  It’s been great to learn what goes into each shirt, from the drawing board to the packaging. 

  

Choke: Where did you work before Choke? How long were you there?

Brian: I made coffee and studied political economics for four years before I joined Choke.  Needless to say, I didn’t always plan on pursuing the screen-printing business.  But I’m glad I did!

Choke: How does working at Choke compare to working at your last job?

Brian: As a barista, you see the best and the worst sides of your customers.  Making someone’s day is rewarding, but the task can be brutal and thankless.  I find my job at Choke more satisfying because the results of my work are more tangible.  Plus, I never have to wear kakis to work again!

Choke: What is your favorite type of shirt? (Blend, cut, style etc)

Brian: It’s all about the blends!  They are so soft, and fit just right.  A crew neck tri-blend in black for me, please.

Choke: What is the best part of working at Choke?

Brian: Do I have to pick just one?  Let’s see, there’s Doughnut Thursday, Ace howling at ambulance sirens, long board obstacle courses, international travel (OK, we went to one show in Canada), ladder-balancing competitions, after-hours design meetings, wheat-pasting excursions, and- of course, signing new retailers!  But the best part about working here is building a friendship with a great group of guys.  We have a lot of fun together!

Choke: When not at Choke what else do you like to do?

Brian: I enjoy making music and riding motorcycles.  Those are two things I can’t live without, but never seem to have enough time for.

Choke: Who is the one person/group that you wish would walk into the shop and want to print shirts? Why?

Brian: It would be cool if Choke were the official screen-printer for a film studio.  I would ruin every film by pointing out “hey! I made that shirt!” during each scene.  Only then could we truly call ourselves screen printers.  Ha!  Get it?

Choke: What’s your favorite Choke Shirt Co. design? Why?

Brian: Our Spring 2012 line is coming out February 29^th.  It has some really cool designs.  “Hot Rhino” represents a cool story about saving black rhinos in Africa.  It looks super cool, too.

Choke: If you got to the shop first and got to pick the Pandora station for the day, which one would you choose? Which station can't you stand?

Brian: I think smooth lounge or trip-hop makes good work music.  Something like Flying Lotus is nice.  I can’t stand a playlist full of Adele or Mumford and Sons.  I think they’re great for a song or two, but hours of their soulful bellows takes an emotional toll on a man.  I prefer something light and instrumental.

Cool Displays at Pool

It's Day 2 of the Pool Trade Show in Las Vegas.  Matt and Jeff having a blast!  We've already met some great people, and have signed four orders so far.  Choke will soon be selling in California, Massachusetts and Arizona!  Woohoo!


We've had some time to explore the convention.  There are some really cool displays- especially from the bigger companies.  We captured a few shots of the best ones.  Stay tuned for more exciting news from Vegas!

We're in Vegas, Baby!

Well, we made it to Las Vegas.  We packed up our samples and line sheets and headed to the POOL TRADE SHOW at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The show is part of the Magic Apparel Show that happens twice a year. Basically all of the largest names in apparel and accessories show their next line to thousands (and we mean thousands) of buyers. Magic's broken up into 6 or 7 smaller shows each with a loosely based theme. There's Project which is a bit edgier, Source allows you to connect with overseas and domestic manufacturers, Street shows the latest in (you guessed it) street wear and POOL. POOL is for independent artists who are trying to make it in this overly confusing world of apparel. It is awesome to be surrounded by so many independent brands and designers who are in the same boat as we are.


It's not even 11am on our first day and we've given out a bunch of business cards, a few line sheets and we've already gotten an order of men's tees that are going to a store opening in Long Beach in May.

Check out our photos and follow along as we venture our way through the week.

Your Idea Here!

At Choke, we LOVE making shirts. When we look at an elephant, we see a hundred tiny ones in white plastisol on heathered tri-blend. Sunsets look best in water-based ink. And sailboats suspended under a bouquet of balloons? That's cool. But we don't keep the love to ourselves.

The proverbial meat-n-potatoes of Choke is our custom print shop. We spend the vast majority of our day meeting new people and printing their ideas. Turns out, we're not the only ones who like sweet tees! From event coordinators and party planners to entrepreneurs and artists- everyone likes to see their designs printed to life. And maybe it's the ink fumes, but we have a blast screen printing them!

Last week, we decided to spread the word. The idea was to send people a simple message: We Make Sweet Tees. Jeff came up with some cool flyers that stuck to the point.

Next, we enlisted the help of our friend Conrad and set out to post our flyers. He taught us how to wheat paste. It's a simple, bio-degradeable method of sticking paper to surfaces needing a little flare. Wheat paste is made with flour. We failed to find a gluten-free option (bad wheat joke), so we stuck with the basic store brand. We grabbed our big red bucket and paint roller and trekked to Seattle's University District. After mixing the flour with water- or whatever was in that bottle from the trunk, we began sticking.

Turns out the process is even messier than we expected. We found ourselves and our getaway car in need of a bath. But we had a ton of fun slapping our flyers all over the U District. Next up, we'll share our message of making sweet tees with other Seattle neighborhoods, one sticky neon flyer at a time!

Meet the Guys Who Make Your Shirts! Part II

In our second round of introductions, we ventured down to the cold, soggy docks on South Lake Union. The moon cast a faint glow in the black, thick fog. As we navigated the creaky wooden planks, we heard a commotion coming from the end of the dock. There we found Justin, perched atop a rustic sailboat, bottle of wine in hand, singing songs of the sea. With a joyous "ahoy!" he welcomed us aboard. A flickering candle and a crackling wood stove illuminated the boat. The soft light revealed a small cabin filled with leather-bound books. Their titles covered topics ranging from axel repair to orthopedic surgery. This was going to be an interesting interview...

Choke: How did you first learn about Choke?

Justin: I first learned about Choke when I responded to a Craigslist ad for a printshop helper position. Jeff responded to my email and I went to town learning all I could about Jeff & Matt, the shop and screen printing in general (thanks Google!) It turns out the guys had made my daughters favorite shirt, Giraffe.

Choke: How long have you been with the company?

Justin: A little over a year. The last year has flown by! I've gone from helping out at the shop a few days a week to becoming a full time employee, then onto becoming a part owner. I've gone from watching how-to videos on YouTube to being really confidant in my printing abilities. We still find ways to challenge ourselves printing wise. All of us are taking a crash course in the garment business- which I love, even though it can be overwhelming at times.

Choke: Where did you work before?

Justin: Before Choke, I spent the last 13 years working in orthopedic medicine (bones & joints). I was a faux nurse that got burnt out. There are a lot of similarities between being a small business owner and a nurse, but I'd rather wear a tee shirt & jeans than scrubs. Really, it's hard to make scrubs look good.

Choke: Compare working at Choke with your work as a "faux nurse."

Justin: Well Choke is by far better. Why, you ask? I work with 3 close friends, our dogs come to the shop, we listen to music- sometimes loudly! We laugh and hang out together after work. Years ago one of the doc's said "figure out what you like to do, then figure out how to get paid for it." Check & Check.

Choke: What's your favorite t-shirt style/blend?

Justin: 50/50 or TriBlend, Hands down. They are so soft and have a great visual texture to them. I'm uh, well, skinny so the cut & I get along swell too.

Choke: What's the best part about being a screen printer?

Justin: Seeing someone you don't know wearing your shirt! I had to go to the D.O.L. last week and the lady at the counter said I was wearing her favorite shirt, score!

Choke: When you're not screen printing, what do you do?

Justin: Ha, I try to keep things balanced, but we're remodeling our house and that consumes a lot of time. Last year we did the bathroom (adventure!) this winter we're doing the kitchen (almost done!). We're doing all the work ourselves so it takes a lot longer. Before I met my beautiful partner I lived on a sailboat. We still have the boat and I spend a lot of time restoring it with the hopes of some great adventures as soon as it warms up. Oh, I also do a little bit of running. Last year I ran my 1st 50 mile race. This year I hope to break 2:34 in the marathon. We have a shower at the shop so it makes running to work a lot easier.

Choke: If you could have anyone walk into the printshop, who would it be?

Justin: I'd be stoked if the Black Lips came in. I've seen them play a handful of times around the country and they put on a hell of a live show. We do a lot of work with local bands, so I'm always excited when a new artist walks in.

Choke: What is your favorite design?

Justin: My fav is #7. As much as I'm OK with the cold & rain, I'm a summer guy. Every time I put that shirt on I get transported to the boat, anchored off some remote island, basking in the sun and being gently rocked by the waves. Oh summer.......

Choke: If you get to the shop first, what Pandora station do you play? Which one do you hate?

Justin: Reggae for sure. Roots, Dance Hall, whatever. I'm typically in early so I can play what I want, as loud as I want until the boys show up. I'll listen to anything though. We go to Ballard for live music so Jack Rabbit & the Maldives are always great for printing to.

Meet the Guys Who Make Your Shirts!

Introducing a new segment from the guys at Choke that introduces you to the guys at Choke! As our little shirt company continues to grow, we realize it can be difficult to tell us all apart. "Who did I talk to on the phone?" "Which guy printed my shirt?" "Didn't he operate on my broken leg a few years ago?" (Possibly!) We don't want you to lose sleep over these questions. So we're going to introduce ourselves, one fine gentleman at a time.

Today, the spotlight shines on Matt, co-owner and and VP of sales. We sat down with Matt and asked him the hard questions. After a few dirty martinis and a japadog, we finally got the real answers.

Choke: When did you first decide to start Choke?

Matt: One night I woke up in a cold sweat. I just had a vivid dream where a beautiful and magical sparkling unicorn walked out of the woods and whispered “Choke Shirt Company” and I knew that it was something that we needed to do. Jeff would tell you that we came up with the idea together while shopping at the local markets and deciding that we would love to have our own shirt line… I think we all know which actually happened.

Choke: Where did you work before Choke? How long were you there?

Matt: I have an interior design degree and currently still work in the industry. By day I am an Architectural Product Sales Rep which means I sell cool stuff to the architectural and design industry.

Choke: How does working at Choke compare to working at your other job?

Matt: Being the VP of Sales at Choke is great… its always amazing working for yourself and with your friends. Seeing the little company you started grow makes working on the weekends pretty easy.

Choke: What is your favorite type of shirt? (Blend, cut, style etc)

Matt: I love our Tri Blend tees. SO soft and SOOO comfy. They hug in all the right places.

Choke: What is the best part of working at Choke?

Matt: I think the best part about working at Choke is the atmosphere. 99% of time we get along and its just a fun place where you never know what story you might hear from one of the guys and we can daydream all day about what we want Choke to be some day.

Choke: When not at Choke what else do you like to do?

Matt: I love to travel. Jeff and I try to get away as much as possible and I am not embarrassed to say that one of our favorite vacation locations is Disneyland. Getting a beer is always a good time too.

Choke: Who is the one person/group that you wish would walk into the shop and want to print shirts? Why?

Matt: I hope one day Britney or Madonna are coming through town on a tour and run out of shirts and need us to print them. Of course in my dream Britney or Madonna would actually be the one calling. OHHHH could you imagine it was Britney AND Madonna!

Choke: What’s your favorite Choke Shirt Co. design? Why?

Matt: I think my current favorite Choke Shirt Co. design is one from the upcoming Spring Collection (being released Feb 29^th). Hot Rhino is a really cool design. It has a great back story and the ink colors are a great contrast on the shirt colors that were selected.

Choke: If you got to the shop first and got to pick the Pandora station for the day, which one would you choose? Which station can't you stand?

Matt: Mumford & Sons Radio for a bit and then maybe a little Broadway Showstoppers Radio. I can’t stand Reggae Days with Justin.

Merry Choke-mas Getaway Details!

Well, it's that time of year again... whether you like it or not the air is getting chillier and the sun goes down WAY too early. We can all agree that the only bright spot of this time of year is the holidays... so we here at Choke have decided to make it a little brighter this year!

We're heading up to Vancouver, BC in December for a holiday retail show called the One of a Kind Show. It's going to be pretty exciting! Tons of vendors from the US and Canada selling all kinds of unique, handmade items. And we want to share that with one lucky Choke fan. So we're giving away a trip! And not just any trip... it's a "Canadian Holiday Shopping Adventure"!

One lucky winner and a friend will win the following:

• (2) Entries to the Vancouver One of a Kind Show
  
• (2) Round trip tickets on Amtrak from Seattle, WA to Vancouver, BC (up on Saturday, December 10th, back on Sunday, December 11th)
• (1) One night hotel stay at the Luxury Downtown Vancouver Pan Pacific (one room, 2 double beds) located next to the Vancouver Convention Center
• (1) $200 Choke shopping credit at our One of a Kind Show booth
• (2) Drink tickets and (2) recycled shopping totes (courtesy of Vancouver One of a Kind Show)

All you have to do to sign up for the contest is click the "Merry Choke-mas Getaway" link on Facebook or orange link on the bottom of our website. Make sure to share us with your friends, so they have a chance to win!

The last day to enter is November 18th and the lucky winner will be randomly selected on November 21st.