Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chantel Kessler. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chantel , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Showcasing a way of life that is bred and nurtured into who you are today all through a design printed onto a shirt. Maybe that sounds a little dramatic but thats what we have strived to create over the last 4 years is a brand that is just that.

You may have noticed that we aren’t just throwing out ideas and designs that are for sale over most major graphic tees platforms. Instead we thoughtfully introduce new, relevant and relatable ideas to our followers and people that shop in person, at local vendor events.

I grew up in cowboy boots and tennis shoes. I have many childhood memories of feeding cows, picking rocks out of several fields, and the sound of a tractor pulling a bailer through the field. Memories of learning to drive in a Chevy s-10 on old dirt roads and my dads log truck chains rattling down the road, exciting us for his arrival home. Playing baseball in the yard and riding bikes for hours on end, playing hide and go seek in barns and splashing in the creek were fun pass times. The view of the valley that when I drive through the middle of it, it gives you that “I’m home” feeling. And boy let me tell you, the sunsets I’ve seen from there, absolutely beautiful.

That’s what we want to share with you. That’s what we want you to think about and feel, those memories and experiences that you grew up with. A story that is your own, all displayed in a shirt. A shirt that you can’t put into an Amazon cart and you wont be able to find at Walmart. It’s something you come across and have to grab today or you might miss it.

Our mission has been to tell a story with our designs that you can proudly share with others around you. Representing the community and lifestyle we love. That maybe when someone sees the shirt they stop and say, “what’s on your shirt?” From there, you get to tell them why you love it so much and what story it tells for you.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

We are Carrie and Chantel the owners and operators of C.C Custom Design, a mother-daughter screen printing duo from Valley, WA. What started it all was Carrie (my mom) thought about one of her high school art projects and thought we should try screen printing some of our own designs we had drawn. At the time we were using heat transfer vinyl but wanted something that would stand the test of time and not crack or peel up after a few washes and trips through the dryer.

My mom called me one day and was trying to explain it to me and I just remember telling her, “I have no idea what you are taking about.” I couldn’t make it make sense in my head but once I seen the tools and supplies in real life, it all started to come together. One of your first designs we ever printed on a sweatshirt was drawn by my little sister, it was a bison with a “cave drawn” vibe. People loved it and that was exciting! From there our design inspiration grew along with our inventory of shirts. We print on: tank tops, t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirt, sweatshirts, hoodies and last fall we even printed on a denim jacket! We want to make functional clothing for everyday wear, shirts that can be dressed up or dressed down depending on what the day’s itinerary looks like for you.

At C.C Custom Design, simplicity is key, often using a single color to let each design’s essence shine through. 99% of our work is done by hand, using a stencil we cut out, ink from a jar and a squeegee to print the design on a shirt. It’s been so interesting to learn new techniques for printing and creating – it’s definitely something that we will continue to learn from as long as we continue to have our hands in it. We recently have branched out to adding colored designs to our inventory. We are still the creator of our own digital artwork but had the opportunity to work with a local transfer printing company that helps us get the color we want with the ease of heat press application without sacrificing quality.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best way we have found to get new clients is to get out where the people are and set up a booth. I would strongly encourage people to apply to be a vendor at places you haven’t frequented for a whole new clientele group. If you only stay in your home town or the neighboring town, that will limit your reach. Being willing to travel will pay off in the end.

Another way to reach people is to be customer service oriented. Everyone that walks by your booth is a potential customer and you need to be friendly and treat people like they truly matter. Not just specifically in hopes to make a sale but in general, people do matter and we want to be able to spread some kindness in how we represent ourselves as well as presenting our product.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

One of our most memorable sales was our first out of state sale. We had just done a custom order for a friend who has a mobile coffee trailer and she shared and tagged our business on instagram. Through sharing on social media, another mobile coffee trailer (based in Ohio) started following us and reached out for a custom order. At the time, we were making and advertising keychains and they ordered about 50 keychains for a special event they had coming up. It was really inspiring to have made a connection with a business we would have never had the opportunity to serve if my friend wouldn’t have done a shout out for us on her instagram page!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cccustomdesign1.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.ccustomdesign?igsh=amVya3BzcGtoa2l3&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1A3vNBP3Tw/?mibextid=wwXIfr