Bigfoot tee reprint reveals the small footprint of our supply chain

From our manufacturer’s distribution center on Long Island, N.Y., to our screen printer in Lancaster to Stay’s storage in Hershey, our tees travel only 250 miles.

Our Pennsylvania Bigfoot Believers Tee debuted the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The response from customers was strong enough after three shows, including two on Small Business Saturday, that we began to worry about having enough to get us through the holiday season.

On Dec. 2, I emailed Brett Guerin, one of the owners of Unique Apparel in Lancaster, which has screen printed every Stay tee in our four-plus years of existence. Anticipating two more busy shows on Dec. 4, I asked Brett whether he could fit a reprint of Bigfoot into his busy schedule.

Not only is Unique’s quality top-notch, but Brett is ever-accommodating to Stay’s needs. He asked me to let him know the quantity and the date by which he would have the blank tees and he would try to fit me in.

To be sure, this was not a normal turnaround time but rather Brett and Unique Apparel delivering in a pinch based on our strong relationship.

Just 250 miles link three companies

Proximity mattered, too, as the path from Royal Apparel to Unique Apparel to Stay Apparel is just 250 miles, which is time efficient (our stuff doesn’t get stuck on cargo ships!) and environmentally friendly because it doesn’t have to travel so far compared with, say, imports.

Bigfoot was big for us again on Dec. 4, so the next day I ordered four-dozen more coyote brown blank tees from manufacturer Royal Apparel. We have always used Royal Apparel, foremost because it delivers first-rate, Made in the USA tees, but also because the company ships from Long Island, N.Y.

Royal Apparel can direct ship to Unique Apparel in one day.

In this case, FedEx picked up my order at Royal Apparel’s warehouse in Holbrook, N.Y., just before 5 p.m. Monday and delivered to Unique Apparel just before 2 p.m. Tuesday. Unique Apparel printed the tees on Thursday. By Friday afternoon, I had picked up the shirts, folded them and added them to Stay’s inventory, ready for online sales and for our shows in Lancaster on Saturday and Wrightsville on Sunday.

Thank goodness that Unique Apparel came through for us once again. Bigfoot continued to be a big deal for us, so much so that I’m already making plans for a third printing.