Twenty years ago, Jersey Ink started in a basement in New Jersey with a small press, a big idea, and a lot of help from my kids. Today we're a 10-person team in a 5,000-square-foot shop in Reading, PA, and I couldn't be more grateful. This post is a look back at how we got here — the early days, the hardest moments, the proudest ones, and a heartfelt thank you to everyone who's been a part of this ride.
Twenty years. When I say it out loud, it still surprises me.
Jersey Ink didn't start with a business plan or a storefront. It started at a home improvement show in North Jersey, where my husband and I stumbled onto a booth about making money printing T-shirts at home. We had three young kids in every sport and activity imaginable — cheerleading, dance, soccer, you name it — and we were constantly buying custom shirts. When we saw that small presentation, something just clicked.
We invested in equipment, flew out to Utah to take a course on how to make screen printed shirts, and came home ready to go. We set up in our basement. Our first real order was for the high school my two older children were attending — and it turned into thousands of dollars. Just like that, we were hooked.
The Basement Days
Those early years were something else. My children and some of their friends would come help us work the press. We were producing shirts out of a small machine in our basement, learning as we went, making mistakes along the way — and then fixing them.
What we had going for us was a large network. When your kids are involved in everything, you know a lot of people. Word spread fast. We grew organically, just by knowing the community and delivering good work.
At the time, there was basically one other company in our entire town making T-shirts. We weren't stepping on anyone's toes — we were filling a need. And we kept filling it, right up until the day we made the decision that changed everything.
Moving to Pennsylvania
After one year of building the business in New Jersey, our family made a big move to Reading, Pennsylvania. We packed up the equipment and brought it with us — but life got busy fast. We were investing in rental properties and buildings, and I found myself purchasing and running a large daycare in one of our buildings. The press sat mostly quiet for about a year, running small jobs for established clients.
Then an opportunity opened up in one of our buildings: a storefront. I jumped on it. We officially launched Jersey Ink Custom Apparel in Reading, Pennsylvania, invested in a real manual press, and started building something new.
Around that same time, my daughter Christina was attending Kutztown University. She took it upon herself to sell our shirts on campus — and honestly, she helped pay for a good chunk of her tuition doing it. My son Dan would come in when available and help with art or where needed. That's the kind of family this has always been.
We started with two employees alongside me. There weren't many screen printers in the Reading-Berks County area at the time, so we grew — organically, through advertising, and through word of mouth. We never stopped growing. Today we have a team of about 10 people and have been in our current 5,000-square-foot location for the past 10 years.
What's Changed. What Hasn't.
After 20 years, I can tell you this: less has changed than you might think.
People still need T-shirts. Businesses still need to brand themselves. Schools still need spirit wear. Teams still need uniforms. That fundamental truth — that printed apparel is something everybody needs and everybody wears — hasn't changed one bit. We're still working with some of the same apparel suppliers we started with two decades ago.
What has changed? Social media, obviously. The ability to reach customers and show our work in a way we never could before. Direct-to-film heat transfer technology has opened up a whole new world for small, multi-color orders that simply weren't practical before. And turnaround expectations — when we started, four to six weeks was normal. Today people want things sooner, and we've built our operation to meet that.
The biggest shift I've witnessed isn't in equipment or materials. It's in the pace of everything. The world moves faster. Our customers move faster. And we've moved with them.
The Moments I'm Most Proud Of
When people ask what I'm proudest of, I don't immediately jump to a specific order or a revenue number. What I'm proudest of is our team — the quality they put out consistently, day after day, and the reputation we've built because of it.
That said, there have been moments that stopped me in my tracks.
We were one of the earlier shops in this area to offer web stores, and watching that part of the business grow has been incredibly exciting. We had the honor of producing shirts for one of the largest music festivals in the country recently. And one time — still can't quite believe this one — shirts we printed ended up at the Olympics.
But just as meaningful to me are the loyal clients who've stayed with us year after year, and the new ones who find us and trust us with something important to them. Customer retention isn't something that happens by accident. It happens because people feel taken care of. I'm proud we've built that.
The Hardest Chapter: COVID
If you want to know what tested us most, the answer is easy: COVID.
When schools shut down, events disappeared, and nobody was gathering — a lot of screen printers across the country didn't make it. The ones who were too narrowly focused on a single market couldn't survive. We had always kept a diverse client base, and that diversity saved us.
We pivoted. We reached out to businesses in the community that still needed help. We printed for utility companies that were still operating. And we produced thousands and thousands of screen printed masks for businesses and organizations that needed them quickly.
It was the scariest stretch of my career. But we stayed open, kept our team working, and came out the other side. I'm deeply proud of how everyone dug in during that time.
The Jersey Ink Difference
People sometimes ask what sets us apart from other print shops. My answer is always the same: we actually care.
I know every business says that. But I mean it in the most practical sense. We have a staff that genuinely invests in solving each client's problem, making the process easy, taking the stress out of it. When you work with Jersey Ink, you don't have to figure it all out yourself. We'll walk with you from the first idea to the finished product in your hands.
And when something goes wrong (not often!)— because in 20 years, things go wrong — we make it right. Every time. No hiding it, no excuses. Just honesty, ownership, and a solution. I don't believe we've ever truly lost a client over a mistake, because we always make it right.
Growing Alongside Our Clients
Some of the most meaningful parts of this business have been watching our clients grow alongside us.
Twin Valley Coffee is a great example. We started working with them when they were operating out of a gazebo at their home. Today they're a thriving business with a real presence in this community. We've had the privilege of being part of their journey, and they've been part of ours. That kind of relationship — built over years, rooted in trust — is what makes this work feel like more than just a job.
The list of clients like that is long. And every single one of them matters to us.
The Family at the Heart of It
Jersey Ink has always been a family business. It started with my kids helping make and fold shirts in the basement, and it's grown into something I couldn't have imagined without them.
My son Dan manages the day-to-day, runs the creative and artistic side of the business, and works closely with staff and clients. Christina runs our H.R. department and works closely with existing clients and new sales. I genuinely cannot picture Jersey Ink without them. They've poured themselves into this, and because of them, it's become so much more than I ever could have built alone.
That's always been part of the dream: building something worth leaving behind. A legacy. Something the next generation can grow, build on, and make their own.
Looking Ahead
I'm not one to stand still. If the past 20 years have taught me anything, it's that you have to stay relevant, stay curious, and stay ahead of what's coming.
Our online stores are growing fast — and I believe they'll be an enormous part of our future. AI is changing the world around us, and we're paying attention. Whatever comes next, Jersey Ink will be part of it. Because no matter what changes, one thing won't: people are always going to need their merch.
Thank You
If you're reading this, there's a good chance you're part of our story.
To our clients — thank you for trusting us with your vision, your events, your teams, your brands. To our team — thank you for showing up, doing the work, and caring about quality the way I do. To our community — thank you for supporting a small family business and helping us grow into something we're proud of.
Twenty years is not something you accomplish alone. It takes every client who believed in us, every employee who gave their best, and every person who told a friend, "Call Jersey Ink."
We are deeply, deeply grateful. And we're just getting started.
Ready to be part of the next chapter? Give us a call at (610) 378-7844 or email orders@jerseyink.net. We'd love to work with you.
Jersey Ink Custom Apparel has been proudly serving businesses, schools, sports teams, and organizations in Reading, PA and beyond for 20 years.