CUMMING, Ga. — These are tough times for local businesses, all of which have been affected by COVID-19. Even businesses that remain open are adapting to change. One business that’s trying to adapt is One With Outfitters, an online apparel shop that’s headquartered in Cumming.
“We're just a little print shop, so everything is down in our basement,” founder and owner Jason Volingavage said.
The shop, which sells custom shirts and hats, has partnered with other local businesses, offering on-demand printing of their merchandise, then giving half the proceeds to that particular business. All you have to do is visit the One With Outfitters website, click SUPPORT LOCAL, then select one of the participating businesses and order merchandise.
“On-demand printing means there is no upfront cost to that business owner,” Volingavage said. “They don't have to pay any cost actually at all. We ask them to just go and promote their support local campaign on their social media platforms, and then direct their customers to our website. Once those customers come to our website and put in an order, we give back to that local business at least 50 percent of that sale. Most of the shirts are $20 right now, so for each sale, the business gets back $10.”
All told, it’s a win for everyone involved. The customer gets merchandise plus the satisfaction of supporting a business of their choice, the local business gets paid for simply posting on social media, and One With Outfitters gets paid for doing business as usual. Volingavage said the idea came about because, like so many others, his business was starting to struggle.
“We had recent events that were supposed to happen in March, April, and May that were postponed or canceled,” he said. “We started trying to research and find ways to help local businesses in our local community. Our friends up in Virginia who are also screen printers, they were doing some sort of campaign that was similar. So we decided it was best to do that for our local community as well.”
Volingavage said the idea has been well-received, and many businesses are getting involved.
“It helps them tremendously because they don't need to have a bulk order and then sit on the inventory and then also pay up front, especially in this time when they don't know what tomorrow is going to bring them,” he said. “They don't have to worry about selling those shirts. We do the printing and the shipping and get them straight to their customers for them. On-demand printing is very time-consuming, but it's worth it right now to help these local businesses.”
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