It’s not something most people would have the guts to do, taking on a new business that’s largely new to you (with regards to processes and machines at least) while the launch of your first new business is still only a few months old. Amber Ackerman has more guts than most people however. And so, with an embroidery machine hammering away in the background, I got a chance to visit with Amber Ackerman, co-owner (with Angie French) and manager of The Print Shop in Carmi yesterday morning.
After debuting The Property Shop in May to much fanfare and a very demanding, active two plus months at that, Ackerman says she just felt it had to happen. “I believe the business is a necessity for Carmi. When I saw that she [Megan Goff] was going to give it up, I just thought ‘that can’t happen’. I didn’t know how it was gonna happen for me, but I prayed about it a lot. I wasn’t sure I could take on another job. I really didn’t want to give up the Chamber [Executive Director] job. After a lot of thinking and discussing, I just decided it was a good fit for me. I can use a lot of my design abilities and being creative here. I hope to eventually just be an over-seer here, ya know, get some people in here that I can count on and trust. And then I can still show houses everyday and I’ll just have two jobs and I’m sure I can do both of those things well.”
In addition to Ackerman, currently on staff are Kristin Prince, Lane Camp, and Madison Nelson, with Jessica Arnold starting on the embroidery machine later this week. She says it’s a learning process for everyone right now and she wants most all staff to be versatile enough to work on multiple stations, machines and to be able to contribute to a variety of projects.
Among the services and products offered currently, Ackerman says “right now, we can do embroidery, screen printing of t shirts, design work (which we’re just now learning that program and we still have a ways to go, but we’re trying to learn as much as quickly as possible), banners, advertising specialty items like pens, cups, and the like, yard signs, vinyl and window decals” and they offer a variety of products in store which they call “The Bulldog Store”.
The team at The Print Shop wants to help you support your Carmi White County football team as well. “We wanna do some events on Friday nights for football games where you can come in and get a shirt. I also plan on expanding [the Bulldog Store] by having a Christian line of t shirts on the super soft shirts that everybody seems to love these days.”
Because so much of the Print Shop team is new and learning more on the job every day, Ackerman has only one request as we creep closer to Election Day and more importantly Fall Festival season…order early. “If they have something you know you want to order, the sooner the better. We’d like to get started on that especially if you’re going to want us to design a banner. If you know about it, please don’t wait till the last minute. Give us at least a two week lead time. Probably as we get closer to those events, it’s going to become more of a 3 to 4 week lead time because I know we’re going to get busy.”
Call The Print Shop at 382 – 5646…if you have a phone that spells, that’s 382 – LOGO. You can also send an email to [email protected]. And you can also find them on the facebook. The page is titled The Print Shop Graphics Group LLC. They’re open 10 – 5 Monday through Friday.
