The T Shirt Shop

Every year we order t-shirts to sell in the Casa de Esperanza store.  And every year it is an experience.

One year we ordered 150 grey t-shirts in a variety of sizes.  We received the shirts mid-week the week the last group was here.  Since they were dated that was a problem, but I thought I could probably sell a good portion of them.  Until I discovered there was only 95 instead of 150 and they were all mediums. 

I generally receive the number I order, but not the sizes I order.  Or if I order blue, the smalls may be one shade of blue, the mediums another shade of blue, the larges yet another shade.  I cannot imagine that ever being ok in the States.  When ordering t-shirts, I am reminded frequently that I am not in the States and it is what it is.

Last year Dorian ordered t-shirts for the Santa Ana youth rally.  They were a good price,  a good quality, he got what he ordered, and he even got them to hand out at the youth rally, not three weeks after.

We decided to try Dorian's t-shirt person.  Marc followed Dorian's directions perfectly.  The only problem was Dorian gave the directions from one direction and we were coming from the other.  But once we got that
little issue resolved, we found the t-shirt shop. 

I expected to see a place to make the screens, and maybe one station to screen and then a dryer.  What we saw when we walked in was pile and piles of scrap t-shirt fabric, several people tracing around a cardboard pattern onto the fabric and then cutting a couple of shirts at a time and about six sewing machines going as fast as they could.  This shop not only screens the shirts, but makes them as well.  It was a messy little shop, but very busy. 

I was fascinated by the piles of fabric on the floor, by the busyness, and by how fast things were being produced.  I would have liked to have found out more about the shop.  Like how many people are employed, how many t-shirts they produce each day, how often, if ever, they clean out all that scrap fabric.

Marc went into the back room with the owner and placed our order.  I didn't see any screening equipment, but I guess (I hope) it was next door or something. 

Marc ordered more than 100 shirts.  He was told they would be ready maybe this week, or Monday for sure.  This is Honduras.  I will believe that only when I see it.

Terri

I am always glad to see people at work.  And glad to see how things are done in Honduras.  It usually far different than the ways I know of things being done in the States.

Terri