We were lucky to catch up with Hope Rovelto recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hope, appreciate you joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard
I am a queer-owned, small, wholesale screen printing company, which in itself makes me unique in the industry. Also, I am not only a business owner; I am an artist, activist, and educator. Most small businesses do not teach their trade secrets, but one of my goals is to empower others to express themselves by learning how to print their own t-shirts. Also, I am able to offer more than “just” a brick-and-mortar business. My bicycle-mounted mobile print shop allows me to bring screen printing equipment and design expertise directly to people: in neighborhoods, schools, and nonprofit organizations. I use my platform and skills to support and uplift communities.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
In 2001, Seattle, I walked into a shop called Torpedo Screen Printing, heavy metal music playing inside and stuff everywhere. I asked the owner if they were hiring and he said no. “Can I come in and help out for free,” I asked? He said sure. So every day I would show up and sweep, fold shirts, clean screens and watch how things were working. I’m a visual learner so I was absorbing how the shop ran. After a week, he realized I was a good worker and started paying me and teaching me the business. I worked there for one year and stored the knowledge, not knowing if I would need it again. Twelve years later, I started printing t-shirts in my basement at night while working a full time day job, slowly gathering up equipment and customers while building what would become Little Chair Printing. My idea was to create a custom wholesale screen printing shop (specializing in all types of apparel and one-of-a-kind projects), a retail store supporting local artists’ work, and educational outreach. In 2018, Little Chair Printing found a new home and became my full time job. The business has grown to include three employees. As an artist who battles dyslexia and always struggled in school, I never planned to run a business much less employ others! I did not come from a wealthy background and have always hustled to make ends meet. What makes my business different from the competition is that my motivation is morals and values, not profit. My services are accessible to individuals who only want (or can only afford) small printing orders; I have no minimum order and I offer discounts when I can. I also print designs for social justice causes and donate the profits. Because many folks may not have the means or platform to get their product out into the world, Little Chair Printing can print the apparel, host the design on our website, and sell products online on behalf of our clients. I am proud of the business I founded and am working to change the world, one t-shirt at a time!
Have you ever had to pivot?
In October of 2019, Little Chair Printing made a huge leap into an expensive new, store front retail space. We had a huge grand opening party and started booking out events and jobs into the next year. Then, of course, COVID shut down the world in March of 2020 and cancellation, cancellation, cancellation. All my spring and summer events, workshops, teaching gigs, all my wholesale orders, everything was cancelled. And rent was due.I scraped together odd jobs, applied for loans, and accepted help from the community. I thought I would have to close Little Chair. But, despite my own financial ruin, all I knew to do was screenprint… and I didn’t want to give up. I printed posters thanking health care workers and sent stacks to every hospital mentioned on the news. When George Floyd was brutally murdered, I printed Black Lives Matter on repurposed used black shirts and opened up the shop door to give them away for free, telling people to donate to the cause. We the people needed to speak up and I wanted to support the movement. Little Chair Printing exploded on SnapChat, Instagram, and TikTok as people learned about my activism, which slowly started to create business opportunities when the world started opening up again. All I want to do is run a conscientious, values-driven screenprinting shop. It is ironic that the pandemic, which almost ended my dreams, validated my principles as a business owner.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
I want my employees to feel excited about the shop’s future, so I listen to their ideas. One employee is a skateboarder and suggested we learn to design and print skateboards, which we are now doing. Another employee is excited to print their own designs and grow our retail store. Listening to my employees and honoring them as artists, designers, and humans keeps them invested in the workplace. Also, I believe in honesty and communication, which I foster through weekly check ins. I try to treat them well, too, saying thank you after each day of work, treating them to an occasional lunch, gifting them with massages and tattoos, and maintaining a chill atmosphere.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.littlechairprinting.com
- Instagram: littlechairprinting
- Facebook: Little Chair Printing