October 8, 2008

In which I become a wildly unsuccessful entrepreneur

I have too many t-shirts.

There, I've said it.

My dresser drawers are literally overflowing with the things, and for the most part, I can't bring myself to get rid of any of them. Some are ratty but oh-so-comfortable (a red one with a tastefully faded State Farm insurance logo comes to mind). Others are old and stained but have sentimental value (my Interlochen ringer t).

Several are from 5Ks, 10Ks and half-marathons that I ran, back in the good old says before my knees decided to start messing with me. (I'm never getting rid of my shirt from the 2003 Chris Zorich 5K race, which I ran at a personal-best 7:10 per mile pace.)

Since I'm a guy, I also have a ridiculous number of shirts commemorating sports championships I personally had no part in winning. There are at least three Chicago Bulls shirts from the mid-90s, a few from the Ravens' Super Bowl and, best of all, a University of Rochester basketball t-shirt from the magical 1990 NCAA Division III title season. That last one is particularly special, because only players, coaches and recruits got this particular edition. My friend Kyle, who joined the team the following fall, gave me his shirt when I graduated from college. One of the best presents ever.

Oh, and let's not get into event t-shirts that I haven't even worn (Ripken's 2131 game, McCartney in Chicago, Cream at MSG), because at some point I'm going to get them individually framed. That'll happen.

Then, there are shirts that have it all: sentimental value, cool design, wearability and extreme comfort. On this list: a Genessee beer t (a gift from HPA and Mrs. HPA) and my Capitol Records and Guinness shirts (both green, and both from the best wife in the world).

But the thing is, you can always use another t-shirt. (Or, I guess, frame another t-shirt.)

Which is why I'm making a highly tentative, low-risk, low-cost move into the cutthroat business of t-shirt design. That is to say, I've posted a few designs for sale on Zazzle.com.

I'm particularly proud of today's addition to my (ahem) product line. If nothing else, it's proof that our designers (me) can work quickly to respond to hot issues in politics and popular culture. Take a look:



Pretty sharp, right? And more patriotic than paying taxes! (Sorry, couldn't resist. But this is still a pretty unbiased t-shirt. Perfect for the Democrat or Republican in your life.)

Seriously, though, it's really for sale. Over here. It's a soft, comfy American Apparel t, so you know you'll look good.

C'mon. You know you want one.

5 comments:

GlutenGirl said...

OMG! I so want the snarky one. That is my favorite word even though my husband insists it's not a real word. I think HPA should buy it for me for my birthday!

JBhumitra said...

"Give a Sarah Palin-style 'shout out' to the Alaskan city that, also, too, everyone's talking about."

BEST DESCRIPTION EVER! I literally laughed out loud. I like all your descriptions actually, also, too, the part about "stating the obvous" with the Tulsa one.

My favorite shirts are the Wassup Wasilla! (the exclamation point adds everything), and snarky, because I like snarky people; they are entertaining, especially when they are making fun of things at work. Makes the day go faster.

When I was at APCO one of my friends came up with an amazing t-shirt design suggestion. He had seen a woman with a guide dog on the metro, and the dog was wearing a cape or sign or something that said "Don't pet me; I'm working." My friend and I always talked about how it would be great if we could wear such an amazing slogan, and discussed taking it to market. It hasn't happened yet, but I'm pretty sure we'll get to it someday.

Anonymous said...

1) I AM THE PROUD OWNER OF THE SNARKY ONE, thanks to my EO + EO wife.
2) How do you say "judge" in French?! (re: the "tell it to the judge" tee)
3) are there no sentimental shirts from me?! your #1 sister and certainly #1 wife (albeit thankfully not to you) in the world - that was a typo, right?!
4) YOU HAVE SUCH A DESIRE TO WASTE TIME AND MONEY IT'S UNBELIEVABLE. i aspire to be you if i ever grow up.

"Highland Park" Attorney said...

Got a little behind on my SFTC reading mainly because yesterday I was consumed by an email discussion with EO about the proper pronunciation of the word "Gyro" and its many cultural contexts. (Yes BUGS, we are both weird guys)

However, I had to come on and give some props for the t-shirt shout out. I must give credit for the noted t-shirt to Mrs. HPA....the ones I typically send are Orange :-)

Anonymous said...

"weird" doesn't even begin