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Tip
How To Tackle Those Tough-To-Embroider Jobs
There are a variety of products that can be embroidered but will not fit in a hoop. Baby socks, gloves, or the side of a briefcase are just a few examples. For items such as these, a technique using ADHESIVE backing called Hydro-Stick was developed. This type of backing holds the item firmly in place even though the piece is not hooped.

Here’s how it’s done.
1. Cut the Hydro-Stick backing larger than the hoop. Hoop the backing with the adhesive side up.
2. Activate the adhesive surface with water by using a light spray mist from a water bottle or a damp sponge. Be sure the surface is evenly moistened.
3. Position your item carefully making sure all wrinkles are flattened out. Try to adhere as much of the item to the sticky surface as possible.
4. Insert the hoop into the machine while continuing to check that the item is wrinkle-free and secured tautly against the adhesive. The item can be repositioned if necessary. Simply MOISTEN THE AREA BETWEEN THE ITEM AND THE BACKING WHILE LIFTING THE ITEM.
5. After embroidering the item, gently remove it from the backing surface. There may be some resistance as the adhesive lets go

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Niche Spotlight
Fishing Niche Helps Embroiderer
Even Out Seasonal Sales
Rick Parsley, Logo Advantage, Mechanicsville, Va., was faced with a classic problem in the embroidery industry. He had a location in a theme park and a location in a mall where he ran singlehead machines. He was swamped in the summer from his theme park business and swamped around Christmas with his retail mall customers, but come January, he was looking for something to do.

What he discovered is that one of his favorite pastimes, fishing, was also one of the most lucrative niches he could cater to in his area. “I’m in a region of the country where fishing is a big deal. I’m close to the Chesapeake Bay for the salt water fisherman and several rivers for the freshwater guys. Freshwater fishing tournaments are held almost every week.”

What Parsley learned as he began catering to this niche is that it was divided into three categories: freshwater, salt water, and fly fishing. “It’s not just about the designs you sell,” he says, “it’s about the apparel you’re carrying. In our retail store, we offer a large selection of shirts and hats that are designed for fisherman. Each type of fisherman wants a different type of shirt.”

The best news about the fishing niche is the profit potential, notes Parsley. “Some of the specialized fisherman shirts’ retail cost is $70 blank. And we have a few customers where it’s nothing for us to put $80 to $100 worth of embroidery on a shirt.”

For freshwater fishing tournaments at the national level, the top fisherman have up to 20 sponsor’s logos that must be sewn on the shirt. And, they typically buy more than one, notes the embroiderer.

“Since it’s retail, we keystone the shirt so if it costs us $20, we sell it for $39.95,” says Parsley. “The margins are good because we’re one of the few shops that stock the shirts fisherman want. So when they find someone who carries them, it goes over really well.”

Parsley broke into the market primarily through his own participation in the sport. He supplements the business he picks up from tournaments by doing fishing and boating shows as well. Each category of fishing has its own trade show events. “We take the shirts and designs they like and that’s all we do all week is sew fish,” he says.

“Most fisherman want the name of their club or their own name on one side of the shirt and a fish on the other side. There’s tons of associations for fisherman, and each club has its own tournament,” says Parsley.

One of the embroiderer’s biggest reasons for success reinforces the cardinal rule of serving niches: Know your market. “I used to fish in bass tournaments, and I still fish in salt water. So when I talk to fisherman, I know what I am talking about. If you don’t know the difference between a small-mouth bass, a striped bass, and a large-mouth bass, you’re not going to do very well in this market. I also don’t use stock designs. We digitize our own designs that are specific to the market. They are better than your average stock design, and you can’t get them everywhere.”

Parsley points out that this is an ideal niche for any embroiderer who lives in an area with fishing. “If an embroiderer did this in Texas or Florida or any area known for fishing, they would succeed,” he says.

Helpful Links!

THE EMBROIDERY MALL
The Best Resource
For Embroidery On The Internet

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What Job Are You Most Proud Of?
Everyone has at least one job that they’re never going to forget. It may be a complicated design that was difficult to digitize. It may be the largest order they ever did and it went out on time. It may have been a licensed character that was fun to sew and just looked great. Maybe you did a one-of-a-kind piece for a charity auction or to enter in one of the industry’s decorating contests. Whatever that job is for you, we want to hear about it.
The Embroidery Store is going to spotlight one customer a month in this newsletter. In addition to hearing your story, we’d like to get a head shot of you and a photo of the piece. If you’re interested in being profiled, please contact Deborah Sexton at dsexton@sbcglobal.net or (972) 680-2031. We look forward to hearing from you!