The Story of Commun-A-Tee: A Shirt That Meant More

When the world shut down in March 2020, we felt it hard. Orders stopped. Events dried up. Our machines were quiet. I spent the first week just trying to make sense of it, staring at the wall, refreshing the news, wondering what we’d do next

A friend reached out and said, “Hey, there’s this idea floating around, sell shirts to support local businesses.”

I’ll be honest, I brushed it off at first. I didn’t see how it could work for us. We weren’t an e-comm brand. We weren’t built for that kind of pivot. But after a week of thoughtfully considering how we survive, I realized the only thing worse than the unknown was doing nothing.

So I built a rough page on our website. We called it Commun-A-Tee, a play on community and tees. The pitch was simple: if you’re a local business or nonprofit, we’ll sell shirts for you online. No setup fees, no minimums, no risk. Shirts were $19 each, you get $10, we get $9, we’ll handle the rest.

And then something amazing happened.

Businesses that never even thought about selling shirts, coffee shops, dog groomers, barbershops, signed up. Not because they needed merch, but because their customers wanted to support them. These were places built on handshakes, regulars, and loyalty and now those people had a way to help.

And the customers? They showed up huge. My email was flooded with orders. People bought shirts just to give back. Some even emailed us and said, “Don’t bother printing it, I just want to help support both the business and Ink’d.” Folks knew we couldn’t print right away due to shutdowns, and they told us to hold their orders until we were safely back. No complaints. Just patience and kindness.

While the press sat still, I was anything but. I set up shop in my home office and worked harder than I ever had. Reached out to every business owner I knew. Built listings. Helped them promote. Wrote emails. Posted on social. I was hustling from sunup to midnight, every night.

It wasn’t about profits. It was about people.

And most of all, it was about showing my kids that when things get tough, you don’t quit.

You find a way.

You try something new.

You take the meeting.

You write the copy.

You build the next idea.

We worked with over 500 businesses through this event and I'm grateful to every one. .

In a matter of months, Commun-A-Tee raised significant money for small businesses and provided a lifeline of hope and encouragement through the event . And while that program eventually wound down, the impact never left.

It changed the way we thought about what we do at Ink’d.

We weren’t just printing shirts.

We were building connections.

Giving people a way to show love, loyalty, and support, especially when it mattered most.

Commun-A-Tee was born in a crisis, but it’s the heart of who we are today.

Print with purpose.

Show up for people.

And always keep pressing forward, even when the machines are off.

1,000,000 and beyond.

---Jay