Decorator Profile: The pub that prints

Garment decorators can pop up in the most unusual of places. Take Central Saloon, it is a bar that has increased its merchandise revenue by more than 500% by bringing T shirt printing in-house. Acting editor Benjamin Austin spoke with owner Eric Manegold to find out more.

There is a bar in Seattle that has etched its name into the history books both for its longevity and its cultural significance.

The Central Saloon is almost as old as the city itself, standing proud in Pioneer Square since 1892.

It watched miners pursue riches north in the Klondike Gold Rush, flourished as a speakeasy during the prohibition of the roaring 20s, and in its wilder days, even served as a brothel.

Now it is best known for being the birthplace of Grunge music and its movement, which rose to popularity in the 80s.

It is still a popular place today for up-and-coming artists to try their hands at performing with around 400 groups playing within its walls.

Across the bar is an array of T shirts, hoodies and other merch decorated with an ensemble of logos for patrons to view, buy and take away to remember their visit.

The printing of these garments was outsourced until 2024, when co-owners Guy Curtis and Eric Manegold decided to bring the process in-house to reduce inventory delays and boost revenue streams.

Since then, the bar has seen a rise in merch revenue by 500% – going from $2,000 to $10,000 in shirt sales a month in around two years.

Printing with a purpose

Eric said about the process: “For small venue owners, it’s about keeping live music alive. The cost of operation, goods, and labour is rising, so you must come up with an alternative revenue stream that makes sense.

“Our goal was to do $100,000 a year in merchandise, and we are doing that.

“We realised people want to take something with them if they’ve been somewhere, whether it’s a poster or a shirt.

“It’s a place where people remember they came in the 80s 90s, and a lot of people come back for a big event. The city has changed and been gentrified, and things don’t look the same, so sometimes people make a personal pilgrimage back to the club and say this is how it used to be.

Some of these visitors aren’t even just from out of state but out of the country.

Eric continued: “Our T shirts are worn all over the world. Some guy might be getting on a plane going to Seattle and see the bar, so it’s a win-win.

“We had a visitor from Bahrain who grew up on grunge and wanted to see the bar; they bought six or seven shirts instantly.”

As well as revenue, Central Saloon also brought the process in-house to avoid unexpected delivery issues, distribution problems and inventory shortages.

Eric said: “We do it all in the basement, just below the main floor. We have a gentleman named Bryce who is a musician and artist, and he manages the inventory, the printing, and the online shop.

“We did it so we can help make people’s visits a proper experience.”

It also comes with unexpected benefits, both for the bar and the band playing.

“Because we have the equipment, we can react to tastes quickly. We can turn a vector file into a finished shirt in less than an hour.

“We even do emergency printing for touring bands from Canada who can’t bring merch across the border due to customs.”

A huge investment

Speaking of equipment, it was decided that if the bar was to do this, then it would do it properly and make sure to leave no expense spared when deciding on its equipment. Its talent buyer, Michael Gill, therefore referred Gus and Eric to Vastex, where they very soon after purchased a V2000HD six-colour/six-station manual press, an EconoRed-II-30 infrared conveyor dryer and a RedFlash flash cure unit.

It also spent big in pre-press equipment from Vastex, acquiring an E-2000 exposure unit, a Dri-Vault 10-screen drying cabinet and a VWB-3627 washout booth.

Eric said: “We got the best stuff you could buy for what we’re doing.

“We worked with Vastex from ground zero. We have “Big Red,” the dryer, and a vacuum screen for the emulsion.

“We use a manual pallet machine that is a fabulous machine; it has the capability to do 100 shirts an hour if you have the manpower.”

New opportunities

The process has been such a success that the bar has even produced unofficial merchandise for major events in the city, with a recent celebration of the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl win on February 8.

It will also be looking to capitalise on the World Cup coming to America, as tourists from around the world will fly in to watch their teams compete for the most coveted global trophy.

With the bar being a stone’s throw away from Lumen Field, the home of its MLS franchise team, Seattle Sounders, Eric feels they are in a prime location to help enhance the experience for those attending.

He said: “With the World Cup coming to Seattle, they project about 750,000 people will visit.

“When we have events that big, like when we won the Super Bowl, and a million people showed up for the parade, it’s difficult to do business because you can’t move around. But it’s a good problem to have.

“For the World Cup, we aren’t going to outthink people with kitschy soccer themes. The international fan wants something authentic from the location.

“We have a high-definition projector and a great screen, so people who can’t get tickets can come in, drink beer, watch the game, and buy some merch while they are there.”

Central Saloon is a shining example of how a major business decision that seemingly appears a bit odd can help boost revenue, overhead, and the experience for its customers.

In a world full of technology and AI, businesses are leaning more heavily on technology and outsourcing work, but for a business like Central Saloon, it is all about the experience; that is something you can’t take away and something it tries to highlight in its printing.

Eric ended: “We consider ourselves the ‘anti-AI establishment’ because AI can’t take away the experience of coming in for a beer, a shot, and some music.

“We want to provide a community where people can represent that they’ve been part of it, whether they are in Seattle or anywhere else in the world.”