We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Feather recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, appreciate you joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Soul Surfer was created during my senior year in college. I give all the credit to my oldest brother, Scott. Even with a 12 year age gap, we have always been super close and shared a love of cars and art. At the time he had started a business designing furniture out of laser cut metals. As part of his operation he had made a custom license plate for my birthday. It was powder coated steel with a logo of a surfer he designed with ‘Soul Surfer’ underneath it. It was perfect for a girl who had an unwavering love of the ocean and always walked to the beat of her own drum. I ran with it. I had a print making class during my last semester at Moravian University and one of the final techniques we learned was screen printing. I started designing t-shirts and printing them in the basement of our apartment, branding them ‘Soul Surfer.’ That was 17 years ago!

Ashley, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am the youngest of four children, 2 brothers and a sister. I grew up in Eastern Pennsylvania and have an amazing family, they are my world. My parents have and will always be my heroes, role models and best friends. No matter what dream or career any of us wanted to pursue they were right there supporting us. Even 17 years into my business they are helping me make deliveries and are a constant support system which I am incredibly grateful for. In addition to my family I recently got married this past August. Jeffrey and I have known each other since we were 5 years old. He is always pushing me to follow my passion with my business. I come from an artistic family. When it came time to decide on a major in college, art/design seemed like a natural decision. After graduation my brother and I were given the opportunity to renovate a small storefront in Bethlehem, Pa. He sold his furniture and I pursued my t-shirt business. Fresh out of school I figured why not give it a shot. I housed the store with all original designs on t-shirts, hoodies, pillows, bags, signs etc. and also offered custom screen printing. That became the main focus as the business grew. In the beginning, it was slow as any new entrepreneur may experience, getting their name in the marketplace. In time by word of mouth alone and recommendations, my client list grew and I am proud to say some of those first customers have been with me since the beginning! I offer custom design work and personalized proofs. I can take a drawing on a napkin and help make your idea come to life on apparel. It is then delivered to provide a very personal experience.

It’s something I pride myself on helping each of my customers feel like they are my only customer, even if I have 15 jobs going on at the same time. I value hard work and putting my best into each and every t-shirt/piece of apparel I print. T-shirts are walking billboards, whether it’s helping a fellow new small business getting their name out there, a team, a bachelorette party or something as small as a child’s birthday shirt. They are all important to me to make your vision come to life. I know it’s just t-shirts but seeing how excited people are when they receive their order is the most rewarding part for me, making me smile.

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

For me personally it has been customer recommendations and word of mouth. I started working with a teacher at a local school to do apparel for her grade. Once the order was delivered, her coworkers saw the t-shirts and since have gotten several other clients by providing a quality product. Instagram has also been a great source in promoting my portfolio of t-shirts available for potential clients.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

All of my shirts are hand printed. I clean all the screens, burn the screens, fold all the shirts and do everything on my own beginning to end. In the first year or two there was absolutely a learning curve. I stretched my own screens until I found a supplier that I could buy in bulk at a practical price. I researched where to buy apparel at high quality to give my customers the best deal I could. Learning tricks with all the techniques took a while to figure out as nothing is automated in my shop. It’s by choice that I use old school methods with my business, but I think that’s the true beauty in enjoying your craft. Learning the history and the hard work that goes into creating a product that has my ‘signature’ on each and every design is what I appreciate the most.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.soulsurfersun.com
• Instagram: soul_surfer_screenprinting
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-feather-91551931