Constantly Create Shop started from just a thought back in 2016. That thought evolved into so much more, and where we are today couldn't have been imagined years ago. Many looked at the company name and said, "How do I even know you print shirts?" - the reasoning for starting this business wasn't just to print shirts. It was to Constantly Create. Get it? It's way bigger than printing shirts.
We started off as a direct to consumer e-commerce print shop that only did full color printing. When COVID hit in 2020, we didn't know if we would see the light at the end of the tunnel. We stopped listening to what everyone else had to say, and just followed true to what we felt was right for the consumer. We wanted to be the ones to set the industry standards, because we knew business was about to change. As businesses were forced to close down, we had no choice but to stay open. This started 'The Great Reset'. Fast-forward to 2023, the best decision we've ever made was to stay open & keep producing content showing how we create every day.
We went from the print shop that only did printing, to a custom branded apparel shop. We added more options (maybe too many at times) and continued pushing. Today, I'm happy to discuss how we are starting to solidify our space as a leader in the industry.
There are multiple ways you can run your business. The two that we were forced to face were strategizing our offerings based on what everyone else was doing, or we could figure things out on our own and lead from the front. You guessed it... we followed the latter.
We have learned that we are a one-stop-shop for different client groups. We have tailored our process for different groups based on what their needs have been, and what we feel we can bring to the table to enhance the solutions they require to get a project from A to Z. This took an enormous amount of time and data collection. We came into business because we love what we do, we take so much (too much) pride in delivering upon our promise to get the client everything they ordered, when we said we would get it to them. With this being said, we have years of feedback that we have taken way too long to act upon. For that, we apologize. Growing a business in New York, making strides during a pandemic, dealing with rising inflation, all of that is no excuse. We have to listen more than we speak.
Our clients have told us they need lower quantity buying options, they want to come and check out some of our work and pick our brains, and they need creative solutions to their problems. We understand. Clients want to come see samples. This was not something we were originally efficient at, and we knew we had to adapt. I'm proud to discuss some adjustments we have made that put us in a more competitive position moving forward.
Before I go into the transformation we are making, I want to mention that this industry is saturated. There are businesses that are acting solely as the middle-man, respectfully, with no means of production while farming all the work out (to people like us) while they take a delta on the cost difference. Then, we compete with the overseas manufacturer that obviously aren't paying their workers the going rate for what the work would be in the states in terms of minimum wage. In business, it's all love in peace and war. Starbucks opens stores next door to Dunkin'. We all want to do the work and obtain sustainability. For us, we will out-offer the competition by simply staying true to what the client asks of us.
One of the biggest things our clients have told us is they want to come check our shop out. We have had clients come from all over the country to visit us. From LA to Cleveland, Atlanta to Miami, they fly here just to see what we do. This makes us so proud of what we started, and we knew we had to expand on that. When we moved into our facility located in New Hyde Park, NY in 2020, no one really wanted to visit anywhere unless the toilet paper was in stock. So, when we set our shop up, it was 100% production and 0% walk-in, sit-down, take a look at what we can do since it was all online. We have since made adjustments to our shop, and we are about to roll out a new experience for when a client visits us. This includes some of the top branded garments and print styles available, so you can see what our team is capable of doing. We will also be able to completely set up an order for you on the spot, so you don't need to make multiple trips to get a project completed. You're busy enough, let us do the work.
Next, we have expanded our capacity and continued our growth on the most permanent print method ever, Embroidery. Our team takes a lot of pride and care in the Embroidery projects we produce. We don't cut corners by using entry level job supplies, or cutting down stitches so a run finishes 5 minutes sooner. We got into this business because we want to give people what looks best, so that they feel good in what they are representing when they wear an item we helped produce. In 2023, our Embroidery capacity is 8x the capacity we had in 2020, and we have learned so much about the right way to do things that we are unwilling to cut a corner to save a buck. We aren't the discount Embroidery shop, we are the best Embroidery shop and we put that on everything.
Lastly, we have always led with our Content. One thing that will never change, Content is King. Our content itself has changed over the years, where we went from showing off our work, to educating people on how we did the work in the first place. This education-style content allows us to show you how hard we work in producing top quality embellishment. It also helps differentiate us vs. the competition. The businesses I earlier discussed that farm all of the work out, they can't show you the work getting done because they aren't the ones doing the work. The overseas manufacturers do typically show some steps in the process, but at what cost? The money you save buying from an overseas manufacturer is the difference in the cost of labor. I can assure you, our shop is cleaner, our communication is clearer, our content is pure, and stitch for stitch, print for print, there is no true competition out there.
If you want to come visit us once we are finished up with our renovations, please feel free to contact me and I'd love to show you around. Email me.