We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ty Thomas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ty, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

My name is Ty Thomas, and I’m a New York Native who truly loves my city. My son, is also a New York Native, and I happened to notice one day when we were in our local Bodega he was ordering a Bacon, Egg and Cheese sandwich. At this time he was 8 years old, and I’m thinking wow he’s creating childhood memories just by ordering this sandwich every morning. I had a lightbulb moment to create –A NYC KID, a fun lifestyle brand that plays on you experiences, or memories growing up or even just living in NYC for some time. Every quote we place on our items is quoted by our trademark name –A NYC KID. The motto that created is simply Live it, Tell it, Wear it! Not only can customers purchase our savvy quoted merchandise, but they have the opportunity to create their own sayings, and experiences (only on t-shirts and Hoodies for now). We especially became relevant during the pandemic, as many people had or chose to move from NYC. Although they moved, we are pretty sure there are some things they missed. Whether it’s grabbing a slice, walking through Central Park, or simply just hearing the train say “Stand Clear of the Closing doors Please!”, It’s the little things that make people smile. We hope the phrases on our items can brighten someone’s day, even if it just says Bacon, Egg, and Cheese on a Roll!

Ty, 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?

Starting the brand was challenging in the beginning as I had no idea how I would produce product. I eventually found vendors that would be able to make my ideas come to life. It was amazing to see the outcome, as I had tangible items based on an idea that I had created. What I’m most proud of is when people see the brand and they genuinely laugh or smile. When they see a phrase or quote on an item they are reminded where they came from no matter where they are in the world.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When the pandemic first started I literally just launched the business. Ot was devastating because we had a launch party, as well as the website going live. The while world was on lock down, but yet and still people were shopping online. I had to figure out how to make my own product and ship it, because outsourcing wasn’t an option at the time. That’s exactly what I did. I purchased the equipment to make some of the product that I could, along with creating new merch such as face mask with sayings on it . I had to pivot to make it work, and it all worked out. During this process it helped me expanded my creativity because I now I had control on how I wanted things to look.

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

Some of our merch is being sold at a few retailers here in New York, such as DaSpot in Brooklyn, Harlem Creative Collective, The Bronx Collab, and Common Good Harlem.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.anyckid.com
• Instagram: @anyckid
• Facebook: www.anyckid.com/anyckid
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/YHRSv-gLOPs

Image Credits
Kevin White